Notebook: Reed bounces back; clearing stays strong

Travis Reed will be the first person to admit that he didn't have the best start to his senior season.

But after scoring just two goals and recording a 16.7 shooting percentage in the Terrapin men's lacrosse team's first three games, including back-to-back 0-for-4 shooting performances against Georgetown and Duke, the attackman got back to his usual form in the Terps' 12-8 victory against Bellarmine.

The 5-foot-9 senior notched his first hat trick of the season and dished out an assist while picking up a team-high seven ground balls during the No. 8 Terps' four-goal win Monday.

"The past two games, I've been really pissed off at myself, the way I'm playing," Reed said of the Georgetown and Duke games. "I'm a shooter and finisher, and when I get those shots, I expect to make them. That's how I've been my whole lacrosse career. When I don't make them, I get upset at myself. So hopefully they start falling again."

Obscured by Reed's resurgence was the fact that his first goal against the Knights — an elevator shot from about 10 yards out on the left wing that beat Bellarmine goalkeeper Dillon Ward at the hip — gave the Baltimore native his 100th career point.

With Reed's tally, all three of the Terps' starting attackmen — Reed, Grant Catalino and Ryan Young — have more than 100 career points. The last group of Terp attackmen that had more than 100 career points apiece was the 2006 trio of Joe Walters, Xander Ritz and Bill McGlone. That group, one of the nation's best five years ago, led the Terps to their last appearance in the Final Four — something that Reed believes this year's attack is also capable of.

"It's pretty special, but that's not our main goal," Reed said of the 100-point plateau. "Our main goal is to be playing in Memorial Day weekend."

• PERFECT TRANSITIONS

It's a longstanding belief in lacrosse that whoever can dominate play between the offensive and defensive zones will usually dictate the outcome of any given game.

That belief has held true for the Terps, who this season have been one of the best in Division I in transition with a 95.1 clearing percentage. Of their 82 attempts, the Terps have executed a successful clear an astounding 78 times, including perfect outings against Bellarmine and Detroit Mercy.

Moving the ball from their own 30-yard line to their opponent's might sound simple, and it's not something that draws gasps of excitement from fans. But it's nonetheless a point of emphasis for players and coach John Tillman, who have stressed the man-up opportunities successful clears can create in the offensive zone as a result of a fast break.

"Transition is important," midfielder Jake Bernhardt said last week. "If we can get up the field and push the ball in transition and put the points on the board that way, we'll get ahead early."

• JERSEY TALK

The Terps have played in only four games this season, but they've already exhausted all three of the options in their Under Armour wardrobe.

The Terps wore their traditional home white uniforms for the first time this season against Bellarmine on Monday after donning this year's new yellow ones during their first two home games. The team also wore red on the road against Duke on Saturday.

While red uniforms are the norm on the road, Tillman said it's up to the seniors to decide which color — yellow or white — the team will wear when playing in Byrd Stadium.

"We let them decide it," the first-year coach said. "They wanted to try it out. We won with it, so if they decide they want to wear it again, we'll do that. If they want to change it up, that's fine too."

And while it remains to be seen which color will be in vogue this spring, players said they liked the new yellow look.

"We're used to only wearing red and white," Bernhardt said. "It doesn't really matter what we wear, but I loved them. They're a good changeup."

jengelke at umdbk dot com