Maryland men’s lacrosse took on Team USA in an exhibition match over the weekend in what turned out to be a highly-contested battle. The Terps rallied from an early deficit before ultimately falling to the Stars and Stripes, 10-9.
Jared Bernhardt led the way with a game-high three goals and two assists, and Connor Kelly added two goals. For Team USA, Matt Danowski, Rob Pannell and Joe Wolf each scored two goals, and former Terps Joe Walters, John Haus and Drew Snider each found the back of the net.
Maryland trailed 5-1 at halftime and 9-5 with 11:27 left in the third quarter before getting back-to-back goals from Bernhardt and one from Kelly to cut the lead to 9-8 heading into the final frame.
With just over nine minutes left, Nick Brozowski tried to send the ball into Maryland’s offensive zone, but the ball missed his teammates and ended up getting past Team USA goalie Jack Kelly. The U.S. would have the last laugh, as Snider got one past Cameron Brosh with 3:42 left in the fourth.
The game was part of Team USA’s Spooktacular at Tierney Field in Sparks, Maryland to help them prepare for the upcoming World Cup in Israel. The Terps took on USA Blue, which was approximately half of the U.S.’s training squad, with Towson taking on the other half, USA White. The Tigers were nowhere near as competitive as Maryland, losing 22-2 on Sunday.
Maryland lost significant talent on both ends of the field, and this game could be a good glimpse into who could fill those roles. The Terps slid Kelly up to attack to start alongside sophomore Steven Shollenberger and redshirt freshman Anthony DeMaio, and freshman Bubba Fairman, who was Inside Lacrosse’s No. 2 recruit in the class of 2017, replaced Kelly in the midfield. On defense, Jack Welding replaced the Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tim Muller.
For a team that lost so much, it’s scary that they can already push a Team USA squad. Although the season is a long way away, don’t be surprised if Maryland is playing at Gillette Stadium again on Memorial Day weekend.
In other news
Maryland football played Ohio State this weekend. It didn’t go well. Except for special teams, Maryland’s stock is down after a disappointing weekend.
Women’s soccer struggled this weekend as well, losing 4-0 to Iowa.
Volleyball split its weekend games, sweeping Rutgers before Penn State returned the favor a day later.
It wasn’t all bad for Maryland sports this weekend. Field hockey went 2-0, defeating Michigan State and Liberty, and men’s soccer beat Ohio State thanks to a late goal.
Tennis had a solid weekend at the Navy Blue and Gold Invite, leaving the Naval Academy with two singles titles and win in the doubles bracket.
The Eagles broke out a group home-run celebration after Maryland’s Torrey Smith reeled in a 59-yard score.
Also, a daughter of two Maryland grads has opened up a scholarship page for the late son of a former Maryland graduate. She’s hoping to raise $20,000 for the Mark Sobel Jr. Memorial Scholarship, which will help students interested in studying medicine. Here’s a video about the scholarship, and if you’re interested in donating, click here.