Maryland men’s lacrosse defeats Navy, 10-4, in season opener

It took just 46 seconds into the season for No. 1 Maryland men’s lacrosse to see a shot in the back of the net against visiting in-state rival Navy.

Senior midfielder Tim Rotanz shook his defender and scored on the Terps’ very first trip down the field to give his team an early lead. After Maryland jumped out to a three-goal first-quarter lead, the Midshipmen scored twice before the Terps ran away en route to a 10-4 victory in the first game of the year.

Rotanz, a veteran coming off a 33-goal junior season, recorded the Terps’ first points of 2018, but it was a trio of first-career goals and a freshman hat trick which helped build a lead Maryland wouldn’t relinquish.

After a seven-minute scoring drought for both sides, sophomore midfielder Ethan Mintzer netted his first score as a Terrapin on an assist from senior attacker Colin Giblin. Later in the first half with Maryland leading 3-2, highly-touted freshman Bubba Fairman ripped a shot past Navy goalie Ryan Kern for his first collegiate goal.

The Midshipmen held a 20-18 shot advantage and won 6 of 9 faceoffs through two quarters. But after they scored two first-quarter goals to cut the Terps lead to 3-2, Navy didn’t score for the next 25 minutes. Senior midfielder Connor Kelly put the Terps up 5-2 right before halftime on an extra-man goal.

Midfielder Logan Wisnauskas—a redshirt freshman transfer from Syracuse—recorded his first collegiate goal just 35 seconds into the second half to increase the Maryland lead to four. After scoring his second goal of the game later in the third quarter, Fairman completed a hat trick on a pass from fellow first-year Terp Wisnauskas.

The Terps struggled at the X, winning just six of 18 faceoffs. Junior Austin Henningson went 6-for-14, freshman Justin Shockey went 0-for-3 and senior Will Bonaparte went 0-for-1. Despite the faceoff struggles, the Terps weren’t hurt in time of possession. Navy turned the ball over 14 times, eight of which were created by the Terps.

With Maryland leading 8-4 heading into the final quarter, Rotanz finished off what he started, picking up both Terrapin goals in the fourth quarter. He finished with a game-high four points on three goals and an assist.

The Terps (1-0) will host Marist on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET.

Three things to know

1. Four goals came from first-year Terps. Freshman Bubba Fairman was as good as advertised in his first collegiate game, recording a hat trick. He scored his first goal in the second quarter on an assist from Connor Kelly, then scored twice more in less a two-minute span in the third quarter to complete the accomplishment. Redshirt freshman Logan Wisnauskas scored unassisted in the second half for his first career goal. Both Fairman and Wisnauskas received ample playing time, and they’re looking like huge additions to this year’s roster.
2. Bryce Young and Steven Shollenberger did not play. The team announced prior to the opening faceoff that Young, a senior captain, and Shollenberger, a sophomore attacker, would not be playing. No further details were provided before the game. Shollenberger only appeared in nine games as a freshman, but Young is perhaps the best defender on the current roster after starting in all 19 games for Maryland last season. Head coach John Tillman will likely address this announcement after the game.
3. Nick Brozowski left the game with an injury. The junior long-stick midfielder went down in the fourth quarter and limped off the field with an unknown injury. He did not return. Brozowski played well prior to his departure, collecting four ground balls. Senior Matt Neufeldt was the other long-stick midfielder that played a lot at that position, and junior Thomas O’Connell stepped in once Brozowski left the game.