Navy, if it gets healthy, looks to be a contender again. Georgetown is off to a good start. But, two weeks into the new college lacrosse season, it’s clear that everyone is chasing the University of Maryland, out to defend its national championship.
Maryland (3-0) is ranked No. 2 in the country in both major lacrosse polls. The Terrapins hosted Navy for their season opener on Feb. 10 and won 10-4 in a heavy rainstorm. They beat Marist 13-7 Tuesday and improved to 3-0 Saturday with a close win over High Point, 16-14.
Against Navy, freshman Bubba Fairman scored a hat trick in his collegiate debut. Fairman was the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2017 as ranked by Inside Lacrosse magazine.
Against Marist, sophomore Jared Bernhardt scored a hat trick in less than 17 minutes of game time, then bested his previous single-game career high of four points in less than 19. He finished with seven points, five goals, two assists — all career highs — and tied another career high with three ground balls.
Yet seven points wasn’t even the highest total a Terrapin tallied against Marist. Senior Connor Kelly set his own career high with eight points (four goals, four assists).
Kelly was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Player of the Year preseason watchlist and is a candidate for the Tewaarton Award, lacrosse’s Heisman Trophy, a year after Maryland’s Matt Rambo won the Tewaarton as a senior.
Kelly might be this year’s Rambo for Maryland, and Fairman might play the role of hot-handed freshman that Bernhardt essayed in 2017. But there is not much time for the 2018 team to settle into new roles. Nine of their 10 remaining regular season games will come against teams currently ranked in the USILA coaches’ poll.
That includes the Terrapins’ Big Ten Conference slate. Out of their five conference opponents — Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers, Ohio State and Johns Hopkins — only Michigan is unranked.
“These early-season games are huge for us,” Kelly said after the Marist game. “Obviously we’re trying to figure out the parts both defensively and offensively. But to come out with a win is huge for us. Honestly we’re trying to figure out ourselves, trying to find our identity, but it was a great win this evening.”
The Marist game was Maryland’s second in four days, more of the exception than the rule for the regular season, but Maryland coach John Tillman pointed out that’s how postseason games are scheduled.
“We don’t take anything for granted so if we can get to the Big Ten Tournament and be fortunate enough to get a win, this is something our guys can reflect on. But that’s a big if,” Tillman said. “But it’s hard to simulate that experience unless you go through it.”
Other teams to watch
Before Navy lost to Maryland, it also dropped its opening game at Jacksonville, 12-7. The Midshipmen then got into the win column in their home opener Saturday against UMBC, winning 7-5.
“We’re just trying to get better every day from an individual standpoint,” Navy coach Rick Sowell said. “We do feel some things are coming together for us, no doubt about that.”
In 2016 Sowell coached Navy to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009. The Mids were expected to make it back last year, but they were hampered by injuries — in particular, a season-ending knee injury to top-scoring midfielder Casey Rees.
With Rees back and a few early-2018 injuries healed now as well, Navy will be at its best when healthy. Rees figures to pair well with fellow midfielder Greyson Torain.
“When you combine (Rees) with Greyson, who’s very much a dynamic dodger, you’ve got the threat of the dodge breaking down the defense and you have the threat of the scorer, the shooter. That’s a pretty good one-two punch,” Sowell said.
Loyola and Army will be the Mids’ toughest competitors in the Patriot League; Navy was picked third in the conference preseason poll behind them.
The other local team to watch is Georgetown, which won its season opener Tuesday over High Point 15-5, then squeaked out a 12-11 win at Robert Morris through heavy snow.
The Hoyas were picked fifth out of six teams in the Big East preseason poll, and their conference is dominated in lacrosse by Denver University, a top-five team in the nation. But they field the Big East’s top returning scorer from 2017, junior attack Daniel Bucaro, who posted the nation’s eighth-best goals per game average (2.86) last year.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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