All huddled together in the Varsity Club Sunday night, the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team anxiously waited to see who its opponent would be in the NCAA tournament.
Too bad 10 minutes before ESPNEWS was scheduled to announce the pairings, phone calls from players’ Internet-surfing parents informed them their first-ever tournament game would be against Maryland.
Even though the surprise was already known, it could not subdue the thrilling moment for players after hearing it broadcast on national television.
“Everybody was so excited,” said OSU goalie Tony Russo. “It was kind of a surprise we aren’t playing Georgetown or Virginia -which would have been cool too -but we’ve already played them before. We as a group have never played Maryland.”
The No. 17 Buckeyes (9-3, 4-1 GWLL) received an automatic bid into the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship after claiming the Great Western Lacrosse League title. This is OSU’s first NCAA tournament berth in the program’s 50-year history.
For the third-seeded Terrapins (10-3), this will mark the 26th overall appearance in the tournament-which is the third most of any school since 1971. They will host the game at noon this Sunday at the legendary Byrd Stadium in College Park, Md.
“The opportunity to go to College Park and play in Byrd Stadium is just something you can’t explain,” said OSU coach Joe Breschi. “There’s been Final Fours there; all these guys have seen the Final Four in College Park, Md., so it’s just an exciting thing.”
OSU looks to make the most of its trip at the tournament against a No. 4 Maryland team that last made the NCAA finals in 1998, losing 15-5 to Princeton. The Terrapins have won all three meetings against OSU, including a 16-2 wallop at College Park in 1994.
Buckeye attacker and captain Mike Norton realizes how much NCAA experience Maryland has but said the team doesn’t have time to worry about that.
“We’re looking at it as if it’s just another game,” he said.
Breschi has instructed his players to think of the tournament as a brand new season by having them focus on things a team usually does at the beginning of the year.
“Everybody is 0-0,” Russo said. “We want to start as if it’s a new season and go back to the basics because towards the end of the season, you can get a little sloppy.”
“Every little thing counts this week – every pass you make, every shot you take, everything is going to matter,” he said.
Maryland poses a problem for OSU with its defense, limiting ACC and non-conference teams to an average of 6.88 goals, while its offense has scored an average of 11.86 goals this season. In order to combat the Terrapins’ stifling defense, patience on offense is being emphasized at practice this week.
“The biggest thing for us offensively is to push transition when you have it and be patient when you don’t,” Breschi said. “We have to be patient and pick our shots when we shoot and have quality shots.”
Since all teams can study videos of one another and talk to opposing coaches, there is no secret to how teams play. Breschi said he is going to try and change all of that come Sunday with the Buckeyes.
“Defensively for us, we’re going to throw some different looks at them and try to make them adjust to us, as opposed to us playing their game,” he said.
Emotions will be running high for OSU, with this being the biggest game in men’s lacrosse history. If the Buckeyes can continue this memorable season with a victory over the Terrapins, they will move onto the quarterfinals to play either Massachusetts or Hofstra on May 17.
“We’re going to be excited to play, but I don’t want the guys tight,” Breschi said. “I want them to be loose, relaxed and enjoy this experience. This is what it’s all about, what every kid dreams about growing up, to have the opportunity to play in Byrd Stadium. I think we’ll be relaxed and well prepared for what they see and what we do.”
