Maryland vs. Duke: Halftime thoughts
Maryland is one half closer to punching its ticket to the title game as the unseeded Terps lead No. 5 seed Duke, 5-2, at halftime of their NCAA tournament semifinal at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltmore Saturday night.
Maryland (12-4) hasn’t played in a tournament final since 1998 when Princeton applied a 15-5 whipping. Since then, the Terps have been 0-3 in their three previous trips to the Final Four.
After sophomore David Lawson converted a pass from junior midfielder Robert Rotanz to give the Blue Devils (14-5) a 1-0 lead just 54 seconds into the first quarter, Maryland embarked on a 3-0 run in 9:27 spanning the first and second periods.
Sophomore attackman Josh Offitt scored to temporarily stop the bleeding with 10:43 left in the first half, but sophomore faceoff specialist Curtis Holmes took the ensuing faceoff courtesy of a Duke violation and scored just five seconds later.
Junior midfielder Joe Cummings’ goal off of a pass from senior attackman Ryan Young gave the Terps their three-goal cushion at intermission.
Other notes:
*Young has an assist, and senior attackman Grant Catalino scored Maryland’s first goal of the game, but the team is being fueled by its midfield. Cummings has registered a goal and an assist, while junior Drew Snider, sophomore Kevin Cooper and Holmes have each scored once. The midfield accounted for four goals in the team's 6-5 overtime upset of top-seeded Syracuse in the quarterfinals last Sunday.
*As expected, the Terps have a decided edge at faceoffs. Holmes, who entered the contest having won 62.5 percent (198-of-317) of his draws, had won 6-of-9 in the first half. His play in the second half could determine whether the offense can hold onto the ball for extended possessions and wear down the Blue Devils.
*Redshirt freshman goalie Niko Amato has seven saves for Maryland, while sophomore Dan Wigrizer has four for Duke. Three of Amato’s stops have occurred on point-blank chances, including a save on Blue Devils senior attackman Zach Howell from in front as time expired in the first quarter.
*Regardless of who wins, the Atlantic Coast Conference is guaranteed an All-ACC final after No. 7 seed Virginia disposed of No. 6 seed Denver, 14-8, in the first semifinal. It will be the first All-ACC tournament final since 1986 when North Carolina edged Virginia, 10-9, in overtime.
