Hopes for an all-Maryland Final Four in the NCAA Division I men?s lacrosse tournament had never been higher than this year with a state-record six teams earning berths into the 16-team field.
But those hopes faded into a dream for next season after four of the six teams ? Maryland, Navy, Towson and Loyola ? got booted out of the opening round last weekend. Now, local teams are wondering what it will take to win consistently in the postseason.
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Towson has advanced to the tournament 10 times overall and five times in the last nine seasons under coach Tony Seaman. But the Tigers are 7-10 overall in the tournament and have only made it out of the opening round four times, including in 1991 and 2001 when they made the national finals and semifinals, respectively.
“It?s all about getting a group of talent to grow over four years and have everything come together for them,” Seaman said. “You also need to have a great face-off specialist, a hot goalie and you have to remain relatively injury-free.”
Loyola, which is 9-15 all-time in the tournament following its 19-10 loss at Albany, has not been back to the championship game since getting there in 1990. Navy is 15-24 overall in the tournament after Sunday?s 12-8 loss at North Carolina. The Midshipmen have been eliminated in the quarterfinals in two of the last three years since making the final in 2004.
And Maryland is 39-28 in the tournament, including national titles in 1973 and 1975. While the Terps, who lost to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 13-9, on Sunday, have had success in the tournament, there have also been a number of disappointing losses, including semifinal exits three of the last four years.
Seaman?s theory of everything coming together for a senior group appears validated in teams like Cornell and Delaware. Both teams? rosters consist mainly of seniors who helped lead their squads to great seasons. Cornell (14-0), which beat Towson, 14-6, Saturday, plays eight seniors among its key contributors. Delaware (12-5), which upset defending champion Virginia, plays six seniors among its starters.
“When everything comes together for teams like Cornell and Delaware, anything is possible,” Seaman said. “UMBC is a great example of that.”
UMBC was 0-3 in the tournament before upsetting Maryland. Seaman said veteran attackmen like seniors Drew Westervelt and Andy Gallagher and the play of sophomore goalie Jeremy Blevins make the Retrievers (11-5) one of the most dangerous teams still alive.
Retrievers coach Don Zimmerman said the key to developing long-term success in the postseason is recruiting the right mix of players, something he hopes the win over Maryland will help with in the near future.
“Winning helps a great deal with recruiting, especially in the tournament,” Zimmerman said. “When you win, you get added exposure and that gets you noticed by players looking at which college they like.”
