Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/14/14
From Press Release
A late-game comeback where the Wildcats outscored the hosts by an 8-3 margin in the second half fell just short as Villanova was defeated by No. 1 Maryland, 12-10, on Friday night in College Park, Md. Villanova tallied the final four goals of the game but couldn’t find the equalizers to upend the top-ranked Terps.
It marked the first time this season Maryland has allowed their opponents to score more than eight goals in a game.
After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, Villanova rallied to be within two at 12-10 with five minutes remaining in the contest and had opportunities to score. The Wildcats had their best chance to make it a one-goal game with 1:13 on the clock with an extra-man attempt off a Maryland offsides call, but two shots by sophomores Jack Curran (Fair Haven, N.J.) and Harry DellaFera (Locust Valley, N.Y.) sailed wide as time wound down on the comeback bid.
With the defeat, Villanova falls to 1-4 on the season while Maryland improves to 6-0.
Following a first quarter where the Wildcats were down 7-0 to begin the game and 9-2 at intermission, Villanova rallied in the second half to outscore the Terps by a 4-2 margin in the third quarter and a 4-1 margin in the final stanza.
Maryland got off to a fast start and posted seven goals in a span of 13:26 to take the first quarter. Villanova got on the board to begin the second period when freshman Austin Frederick (Baltimore, Md.) found the back of the net at the 14:33 mark. Curran added the second score of the half with 2:12 on the clock to close the Terp lead at 9-2 at intermission.
Coming out of the locker room at halftime, Villanova bookended the third stanza with goals from junior Eric Gartner (Malvern, Pa.) and three scores from senior Kevin O’Neil (Baltimore, Md.) to cut the Maryland lead to five at 11-6 with one period left to play.
Following a Terp goal from Mike Chanenchuk to open the fourth quarter to increase the Terp lead to 12-6, Villanova responded with four unanswered goals from sophomore Johnny Gallaway (Middletown, Md.), senior John LoCascio (Fairfield, N.J.), freshman Devin McNamara (Lutherville, Md.) and Curran in a span of 8:21 to cut the deficit to 12-10. The Wildcats had chances to score in the final minutes but couldn’t find the equalizers to send the contest into overtime.
Villanova was led by the three goal, one assist performance by O’Neil while Curran added two goals and one assist for three points. Chanenchuk and Connor Cannizzaro each added three goals for the Terps and combined for seven points. Matt Rambo (La Salle) scored twice and Casey Ikeda (Conestoga) had four groundballs and two caused turnovers as well as an assist to lead the defense.
Defensively, Villanova freshman Dan Willis (Moorestown) made nine stops in the defeat while junior Reed Carlson (Arnold, Md.) tallied a ground ball during the second quarter in net. Maryland goalkeeper Niko Amato (La Salle) collected seven saves in the win.
The Wildcats will look to rebound and are back in action in just four days when they host No. 16 Princeton on Tuesday, March 18th in Villanova Stadium. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
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