No. 3 Terps Head To Towson For Annual Intrastate Battle
3/6/2001 7:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
March 6, 2001
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Coming off a dominating victory over ACC rival Duke, 13-5, last Sunday, the Terps head to Towson for the teams' annual meeting this Saturday at Minnegan Stadium. Maryland comes into the game as the No. 3-ranked team in the nation in the USILA Coaches' Poll. The ranking is the highest Maryland has received since the Terps spent two consecutive weeks at No. 1 from April 20-April 26 to April 27-May 3, 1998.
At 3-0, the Terps are also off to their best start since they started that 1998 season, 8-0.
Combs Honored As ACC Player Of The Week
Maryland attackman Andrew "Buggs" Combs (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's High School) earned the ACC Men's Lacrosse Player of the Week honor after leading the Terrapins to a 13-5 win over ACC rival No. 7 Duke last Sunday.
Combs equaled his career high with five goals for the second time in the past three games. He scored two extra-man goals and also had the game-winning goal.
Combs now leads the nation with 13 goals this season. His 13 points rank second in the nation. Maryland's win over Duke equaled the largest margin of victory against Duke since 1984, when the Terps beat the Devils 16-4 in Dick Edell's first game as Maryland head coach.
It marks the second time Combs has earned the honor in his career. He was named ACC Player of the Week on March 20, 2000, after a pair of hat tricks against Cornell and Delaware.
Bucknell Game Rescheduled For March 27
The Maryland-Bucknell men's lacrosse game scheduled for this past Tuesday, March 6, was postponed due to the poor weather conditions in the Washington-Baltimore metro area. The game will be made up on Tuesday, March 27 at 4 p.m. at Byrd Stadium.
Records & Rankings
Maryland enters Saturday's game against Towson with a 3-0 record (1-0 in the ACC) beginning the year with three wins: Air Force (16-3) and Denver (10-7) at the Denver Pioneer Face-Off Classic and its ACC/home opener against Duke (13-5).
The Terps are ranked No. 3 in the first USILA Coaches' Poll of 2001. The ranking is the highest for the Terps since 1998. Maryland was ranked No. 8 in the preseason Face-Off Magazine Coaches' Poll. In the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse.com media poll, Maryland is ranked No. 3 and in the Brine / 360Lacrosse.com, Maryland is No. 4
Last season, Maryland (11-5 in 2000) was ranked in the Top 10 all season, peaking at No. 6 on two occasions and finishing at No. 7.
The Terps take on nine teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the USILA poll this season (No. 6 Virginia, No. 8 Johns Hopkins, No. 9 Duke, No. 11 UMBC, No. 12 Bucknell, No. 15 North Carolina, No. 19 Navy, No. 20 Towson, Delaware is also receiving votes)
Towson is 2-1 (0-0 America East), coming off a pair of wins over Radford (10-6) and Lehigh (11-9). The Tigers opened the season with a 12-8 loss at Virginia.
Towson is ranked No. 20 in the USILA Coaches' Poll and is also No. 20 in the Warriors Inside Lacrosse.com media poll.
Series History With Towson
In games against Towson, Maryland holds a 17-4 (.810) all-time record in the series that dates to 1971. The Terps have won the last six meetings, including a 13-12 thriller at Byrd on March 11, 2000.
The Terps also won the last game at Towson coming away victorious, 15-11 at Minnegan Stadium on May 5, 1999. That game was postponed from the original date of March 14, 1999, due to snow. The postponement marked the third time since 1993 that the Terps and Towson had to reschedule a game due to poor weather conditions.
Towson has never beaten Maryland at home though, winning three times in College Park: March 12, 1994 - Towson, 14-7, March 14, 1992 - Towson, 13-9 and March 17, 1990, Towson, 8-7.
The Tigers also topped Maryland in the teams' only NCAA Tournament matchup, 15-11 in the NCAA Semifinal at Syracuse on May 25, 1991.
The Last 12 Maryland -Towson Games
Mar. 11, 2000 - Maryland 13, Towson 12
May 5, 1999 - Maryland 15, Towson 11
Mar. 7, 1998 - Maryland 17, Towson 6
Mar. 12, 1997 - Maryland 17, Towson 9
Mar. 12, 1996 - Maryland 7, Towson 5
Mar. 11, 1995 - Maryland 6, Towson 5
Mar. 12, 1994 - Towson, 14, Maryland 7
May 4, 1993 - Maryland 11, Towson 8
Mar. 14, 1992 - Towson 13, Maryland 9
May 25, 1991 - Towson 15, Maryland 11 (NCAA SF at Syr.)
Mar. 16, 1991 - Maryland 17, Towson 16
Mar. 17, 1990 - Towson 8, Maryland 7
Edell Vs. Seaman
Towson alum Dick Edell and Tony Seaman have coached against each other 15 previous times, spanning Edell's tenure at Army and Maryland and Seaman's stints at C.W. Post, Penn, Johns Hopkins and Towson.
In those match-ups, Edell's teams have an 9-6 record. They first faced each other in 1982 when Edell's Army Cadets defeated Seaman and C.W. Post, 15-4. While Seaman was at Penn, Maryland topped the Quakers in the 1987 NCAA Quarterfinals, 12-8.
During Seaman's time at Hopkins (1991-98), the Jays defeated Maryland in six of the 11 meetings -- three of which were NCAA Tournament games. Edell has won the first two games against Seaman as the coach of Towson in 1999 and last season.
Individual Terps Vs. Towson
Eight players on the current Maryland roster have scored against Towson. Chris Malone (Timonium, Md.) has three goals and three assists for six points. Last year he scored twice and added two assists.
Mike Mollot (Holbrook, N.Y.) set his career high with five assists in the 2000 meeting with Towson, all of which came in the first half.
Andrew Combs tallied his first career hat trick against Towson in the 1998 meeting, a Terps' 17-6 win with his father, Towson head football coach Gordy Combs looking on.
Mike LaMonica (Parkton, Md.) also set his career-highs in goals, assists and points in last year's game with four goals for four points
Mike Morsell (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) had the game-winner as one of his two goals in the 2000 game.
Last Year's Maryland-Towson Game: Mar. 11, 2000: Terps 13, Tigers 12
Attackman Mike Morsell scored the game-winning goal off a pass from Brian Zeller with 28 seconds left in regulation to give No. 9 Maryland a thrilling 13-12 win over rival Towson on at a wet Byrd Stadium. Morsell's first career game-winning goal capped a back-and-forth game that featured seven ties including four in the second half at 8-8, 9-9, 10-10 and 12-12.
Mike LaMonica had a career game scoring four goals, including the first two to put the Terps up 2-0. Towson's Todd Paradise then scored four of Towson's next six goals to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead with 9:00 left in the second quarter. That three-goal margin was the largest differential of the game.
The Terps rallied five straight goals in the final 8:32 of the first half on LaMonica's third and fourth goals of the game and single goals from Mike Mollot, Craig Hochstadt and Chris Malone, to give Maryland an 8-6 halftime edge.
Towson tied the game at 8-8 on goals by Brad Reppert and Paradise -- his fifth of the game -- with 9:22 left in the third. Mike Haertel and Marcus LaChapelle traded goals to make the score 9-9 with 0:57 left in the third. Morsell then scored his first of two last-minute goals as time expired in the third to put Maryland up 10-9 heading to a hotly-contested fourth.
The Tigers quickly tied the game at 10-10 just 56 seconds into the fourth as Brad Monaco scored off a pass from J.D. Jones. The Terps took a two goal advantage, 12-10, as Malone and LaChapelle each scored his second goal of the game midway through the fourth. Towson then came back to tie the game on goals by Haertel, with 4:52 left in regulation and Monaco with 2:20 left in the game. That set the stage for Morsell's heroics with 28 seconds left.
Mollot set a career-high with six points on one goal and five assists, all in the first half. His five assists were the most since Andrew Whipple had five in the Terps' 1998 NCAA Semifinal upset over Loyola.
In nets, Maryland's Pat McGinnis made 13 saves and Towson's John Horrigan recorded 14 saves for the Tigers, who were outshot 40-36.
Maryland Head Coach Dick Edell
Maryland's Dick Edell (Towson `67 and inducted into the Towson Hall of Fame in 1980), is in his 29th season of coaching and 18th season at Maryland and is one of the all-time coaching greats of the game.
With an 11-5 mark last season and the 3-0 start in 2001, Edell has the best career ACC record at 161-73 (.688), all at Maryland. On March 11, 2000, Edell became the first coach to reach the 150-win plateau at an ACC school, with the win over Towson.
With a lifetime record of 272-120 (.694) over 28 years following stints at the University of Baltimore, Army and Maryland, Edell is the nation's second-winningest active coach. Ironically, the only coach Edell trails on the active list is Jack Emmer (281-154), who succeeded Edell at Army in 1984.
He is the fourth all-time winningest coach in men's lacrosse annals, overall. He passed former Cornell coach Richie Moran and Syracuse legend Roy Simmons, Sr., last season and former Towson coach Carl Runk (262) with the Terps' win at Cornell on March 18 this season. The all-time leader is former UMass coach Dick Garber (300 wins).
"Big Man," as he is affectionately known, has led his teams to 19 NCAA Tournament appearances (16 in Division I after the 2000 selection), including 12 at Maryland. He has also led the Terps to three ACC championships and three NCAA championship game appearances. He was named the National Coach of the Year by the USILA in 1978 and 1995. He was also selected as the ACC Coach of the Year in 1989, 1992 and 1998.
Terps-Towson Family Connection
Three Maryland players have parents who are coaches at Towson University.
Andrew "Buggs" Combs father Gordy Combs is the head football coach at Towson and has recorded a 55-38 record in nine seasons after a 7-4 finish in 20001.
The mother of the LaMonica brothers (Mike and Dan) is also a coach at Towson. Lynda Filbert is in her 12th season as the assistant women's gymnastics coach at Towson.
Malone's Scoring Streak
Preseason All-American Chris Malone is carrying a 23-point goal scoring after netting a goal and two assists against Duke. He scored a point in all 16 games last season as well as the last four of the 1999 season. Over that stretch he has 33 goals and 19 assists for 52 points.
The all-time Maryland point-scoring streak is held by Matt Hahn (1995-98), who scored in his first 62 college games before being held scoreless in his final collegiate game.
Malone scored goals in 14 of 16 games in 2000 and had 12 multi-point games and 10 multi-goals games.
In his career, Malone has 21 multi-point and 14 multi-goals games.
Combs Leading The Nation
Senior captain Andrew "Buggs" Combs leads the nation in goals with 13 after three weeks of action. In fact, Combs is the only player with more than 10 goals heading into this weekend's play.
His 13 points also ranks him in a tie with teammate Dan LaMonica (7g, 6a) for the second most points in the nation behind Fairfield's Troy Bamann. All three Maryland attackman are ranked in the six in the nation in points with Mike Mollot totalling 12 points (7g, 5 a).
Maryland starting attack has combined for 38 points in three games (27 goals, 11 assists).
One Freshman Sensation Follows Another
One year after Mike Mollot burst onto the scene, finishing second in the nation in freshman points with 47, freshman Dan LaMonica has come to the Terps with high-scoring prowess.
LaMonica, the Baltimore Player of the Year as a high school senior at Boys' Latin in 2000, has totalled 13 points in his first three college games, recording seven goals and five assists.
Last season as a freshman, Mollot had 11 points in his first three college games with three goals and eight assists. As a sophomore, Mollot has continued to pile up the points, posting 12 in the first three games of 2001.
Man-Down Doing Amazing Job
Maryland's speciality teams have done a sensational job early on this season. The Terps have allowed just two man-up goals on 30 opportunities for the opponent (6.7 percent).
The Terps had one of the most remarkable defensive performances ever as it held Duke's man-up offense to just one goal on 16 opportunities on March 4. Maryland was whistled for 16 penalties for a total of 17 minutes.
With key man-down specialists Andy Burman (Kensington, Md.) and Brian Kingsbury (Severna Park, Md.), Maryland began the 2001 season by killing off 13 consecutive penalties.
Last season, Maryland's man-down unit gave up just 16 goals in 73 chances (21.9 percent).
Call On Combs On The EMO
On the offensive side, the man-up unit has scored on five of 12 chances (41.7 percent) with Andrew Combs scoring all five extra-man goals.
Over the last three seasons, Combs has scored 12 extra-man goals including five in 1999 and his quintet this year.
Last season, Maryland scored on 22 of 55 chances with the extra-man for 40.0 percent.
D-Highlights From The Duke Win
Maryland's 13-5 win over Duke on March 4 provided several defensive highlights for the Terps:
McGinnis Stars In Goal
Senior captain Pat McGinnis continues to lay claim to the fact that he is one of the nation's top goalies. After three games, McGinnis has a sparking 5.06 goals against average and a .723 save percentage.
McGinnis made 19 saves against Duke on March 4, including nine in the fourth quarter as Duke peppered him with 17 shots.
Last season, McGinnis posted an 8.55 goals against average and .616 save percentage to rank among the nation's Top 10 all season.
Malone Named MVP, Five Others Named To Denver Tourney Team
Chris Malone was named the Most Valuable Player of the Denver Pioneer Face-Off Classic after leading the Terps to a pair of wins, 16-3 over Air Force and 10-7 over No. 25 Denver. Malone scored two goals against Air Force and added three assists vs. the host Pioneers.
Malone was joined to the Classic All-Tournament team by five Terps: Andrew Combs, Michael Howley, Dan LaMonica, Mike LaMonica and Pat McGinnis.
Combs scored eight goals in the tournament including a career-high tying five against Air Force. He came back with three against Denver.
Howley earned the honor for solid defensive play as Maryland allowed just 10 goals on the weekend. Howley scooped up a team-high 12 groundballs in the two games.
Dan LaMonica was sensational in his first collegiate games, scoring four goals and adding five assists for nine points in the two games. He currently leads the team in scoring with nine points.
Mike LaMonica joined his brother on the team with three goals and an assist, all coming against Denver on Sunday.
McGinnis was stellar in goal, making a total of 14 saves and finishing with 5.11 goals against average in 94 minutes of play in the two games.
Scoring For The First Time
In the win over Air Force, several players got into the scoring column for the first time at Maryland. Of course, Dan LaMonica led the way with two goals and three assists in his debut, but several other Terps contributed for the first time.
Sophomore Jamie Daue (Lutherville, Md.) notched his first two college goals against Air Force, giving the Terps, 3-1 and 6-1 leads.
Freshmen J.R. Bordley (Vienna, Va.) and Ian Healy (Great Falls, Va.), both of the Landon School, also posted their first college points as Bordley assisted two goals and Healy added a helper on LaMonica's second goal. Sophomores Matt Brock (Manakin-Sabot, Va.) and Nate Rullman (Earlysville, Va.) also scored for the Terps. The goal for Rullman was his first after sitting out the last two years.
The Injury Report
Sophomore Willy Passavia (Stony Brook, N.Y.) has been cleared to return after suffereing a left separated shoulder in the preseason, sophomore Ricky Sears (Chevy Chase, Md. is out with a broken wrist and freshman Justin Duffie (Gaithersburg, Md.) has a high ankle sprain.
Terps' 76th Season of Lacrosse
The Terps have an all-time record of 606-194-4 (.756), dating back to the first varsity team in 1924. A team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II. Maryland has finished every one of its previous 75 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 11-5. The program's 600th win came against Duke on April 21, 2000, 7-6 in the ACC Semifinals at Byrd Stadium.
In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland recorded its most wins in any decade with a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland's win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage.
Two Games On WMAR-TV
Maryland will once again be a featured team as part of the WMAR-TV lacrosse package aired on Channel 2 in the Baltimore area. Maryland began the network's coverage for the second time in three seasons as the Terps trounced Duke, 13-5 on March 4.
The second game to be shown will be part of a Maryland women's/men's doubleheader on April 14 at Byrd Stadium. The six-time defending Terp women's team will take on Johns Hopkins at 5:30 p.m. in the first game. Then at 8 p.m., the Maryland men will take on Johns Hopkins to conclude the doubleheader. The game marks the fourth time in as many years that the classic Maryland-Johns Hopkins game will be shown.
Maryland could also appear on television several more times as the season progresses. The ACC Championship game being held at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando on April 22 will be aired on Home Team Sports (HTS) in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area.
Also, as usual, ESPN2 will air both NCAA semifinal games on May 26, live beginning at noon from Rutgers Stadium and the championship game on ESPN, live at 10:55 a.m. on May 28.
WMUC Broadcast Information
WMUC (88.1 FM) and wmuc.umd.edu will broadcast up to seven men's lacrosse games in 2001. A tentative schedule has been set, but is subject to change due to other Maryland sporting events.
Head West and South Young Men
With its trip to Denver, Maryland made its first-ever trip outside the Eastern time zone to begin the 2000 season.
Later in the season, Maryland will make its first trip to Florida for NCAA competition in late April. The Terps will take part in the ACC Spring Fest held at the Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. The semifinal games featuring conference schools Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland will take place on April 20 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The title game will take place on April 22 at 2:30 p.m.
Maryland previously traveled to the Sunshine State in 1980 to take on the University of South Florida's club team and came away with a 20-2 win.
With the two trips to uncharted territory, Maryland will make trips via airplane for the first time since 1995 when it travels via the friendly skies since playing at Brown in the 1995 season.
Also, Maryland's travel itinerary will cover close to 6,500 miles. Last season, the Terps traveled just 2,200 miles for seven road games including two NCAA Tournament games.
Four Earn Preseason Honors
Four Maryland men's lacrosse players were named to preseason 2001 All-American teams by 2001 Face-Off Yearbook and College Lacrosse USA.
Senior midfielder Chris Malone and sophomore defenseman Michael Howley were named to the first team, by both Face-Off and CLUSA. Senior goalie Pat McGinnis was named a first team All-American by CLUSA and an honorable mention All-American by Face-Off. Sophomore attackman Mike Mollot was a preseason third team All-American by CLUSA and a named honorable mention All-Americans.
Malone, who was named a third team All-American by the USILA, College Lacrosse USA and AllLacrosseAmerica.com in 2000, led the Terps in goals with 28 and finished second on the team in points with 39 last season. Malone recorded a career-high four goals on two occasions last season, against North Carolina and Johns Hopkins. He was also an All-ACC selection in 2000. Malone carries a 20-game point-scoring streak into the 2001 season.
Howley, who was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2000, was a stalwart of the Terps' defense last season helping the team to an 8.63 goals against average. He started the final 15 games of the season and scooped up 26 groundballs. Howley consistently defended the opponent's top offensive attackman.
McGinnis, a third team All-American by College Lacrosse USA and All-ACC goalie in 2000, had a breakout year in his first season between the pipes for Maryland. He ranked among the national leaders in goals against average and save percentage throughout the 2000 season. He finished with an 8.55 goals against average and a .616 save percentage and an 11-5 record, starting all 16 games.
Mollot, who was an honorable mention All-American by College Lacrosse USA in 2000, was the Terps' leading scorer and finished his first collegiate season with 47 points, including a team-high 32 assists. That assist total led all freshmen in the nation. Mollot was sensational late in the season leading the Terps to the NCAA quarterfinals with a run of 19 points over three games.
Senior Captains Named
Head coach Dick Edell has named three senior captains for the 2000 season: Andrew "Buggs" Combs, Chris Malone and Pat McGinnis will serve in the capacity for the 2001 season. All three were vital cogs in the team's successful run to the NCAA quarterfinals last season.
Coaching Alterations
Dave Slafkosky continues his 25-year association with Dick Edell but in a "new-but-old" role as offensive coordinator. Slafkosky was shifted from the defensive coordinator position which he manned since 1995. But the move will not be new for Coach Slaf as he was challenged by Edell to run the offense from 1991 though '95 after heading up the defense from 1984 through '91.
The move came about as former offensive coordinator Scott Marr left Maryland after six years to become the head coach at Albany. With Slafkosky running the offensive show in 2001, former defensive assistant Jon Stainbrook was elevated to the defensive coordinator's role this season. Stainbrook has been with the Terps for the past four years.
Joining Maryland as a volunteer assistant coach this season is Sonny Ziegler, who most recently has been a lacrosse official at the collegiate and high school level. Ziegler has also coached at four Maryland high schools.
Former Terp stars Casey Connor and Jeff Shirk join the team as student assistant coaches for 2001.
NCAA Quarters At Byrd
Byrd Stadium, which has hosted the NCAA championships for seven of the last eight years, will host a quarterfinal round of the 2001 tournament on May 20, 2001. This year's championships will take place at Rutgers on New Brunswick, N.J., on May 26 and 28.
College Park has been the site of nine NCAA championship games (1972, `79, `89, `93, `94, `95, `96, `97, `99, 2000), the most of any school.
Game 1: Feb. 24, 2001
#8 Maryland 16, Air Force 3
DENVER - The No. 8 Maryland men's lacrosse team began its 2001 season in style with a dominating 16-3 win over Air Force in the first game of the Denver Pioneer Face-Off Classic in the team's first-ever trip out of the Eastern time zone. The Terps' superior play began less than a minute into the game as sophomore defensive midfielder Brett Harper laid a bone-crushing hit on Air Force's Alex DeManss, knocking the Falcons' midfielder into the ground. Then the scoring got underway as sophomore Mike Mollot scored the first of his hat trick, 2:59 into the game. After Air Force evened the game at 1-1 on a goal by John Agnew, Maryland scored 11 consecutive goals, building the 12-1 lead in the third quarter.
The 11-goal run featured the first two career goals by both freshman Dan LaMonica and sophomore Jamie Daue, two more by Mollot and four of the five goals Andrew Combs scored. Combs equaled his career high for goals with five (his sixth career hat trick), originally set at UMBC on May 6, 2000. Mollot added four assists in the contest to finish with seven points, which also ties his career high for points, originally set against Hofstra in the NCAA Quarterfinals on May 14, 2000.
LaMonica, the Baltimore area's top play as a senior at Boys' Latin in 2000, finished with five points (two goals and three assists) in his collegiate debut.
Chris Malone also scored in the 11-0 run to extend his consecutive point-scoring streak to 21 games, dating back to 1999. Malone finished with two goals, his 14th career multi-goal game.
Freshmen J.R. Bordley and Ian Healy, both of the Landon School, also posted their first college points as Bordley assisted two goals and Healy added a helper on LaMonica's second goal. Sophomores Matt Brock and Nate Rullman also scored for the Terps. The goal for Rullman was his first after sitting out the last two years.
With the win, Maryland improved to 72-3-1 all-time in season openers, dating to 1924, winning the last eight. The Terps also improved to 4-0 all-time against Air Force.
In goal, Pat McGinnis and Dan McCormick split time in goal, making five and two saves, respectively. Maryland outshot the Falcons, 48-18, including 33-7 in the first half.
"We were just happy to get every healthy player on the roster into the game," said head coach Dick Edell, now in his 18th year at Maryland. "It was good to see the attack start to click after a slow start in the first quarter and the defense really did the job limiting Air Force throughout the game."
Game 2: Feb. 25, 2001
#8 Maryland 10, #25 Denver 7
DENVER - Led by the brother combination of junior Mike LaMonica and freshman Dan LaMonica, he No. 8 Terp men's lacrosse team captured the 2001 Denver Pioneer Face-Off Classic championship with a 10-7 win over host No. 25 Denver on a beautiful sun-filled afternoon at Pioneer Field.
Both LaMonicas, who were named to the all-tournament team, each recorded four points in the win. Mike had three goals and an assist, while Dan had two goals and two points. Also named to the all-tournament team were senior attacker Andrew Combs, who had eight goals the classic, senior goalie Pat McGinnis, who made 15 saves in two games and sophomore defenseman Michael Howley. Senior captain Chris Malone was named the most valuable player after scoring twice in Saturday's 16-3 win over Air Force and handing out three assists in Sunday's win.
After Denver jumped out to a 1-0 lead, Maryland reeled off four goals including two from Dan LaMonica and one each from Mike LaMonica and Combs to take a 4-1 lead with 3:17 left in the first half. Denver stopped the run with a goal by Alex Stanton, but Combs added his second of the quarter on the extra-man with 2:33 left in the period to give the Terps a 5-2 halftime lead.
Senior Jon Kemezis opened the second half with a goal 2:30 into the half and Mike LaMonica added his second goal off an assist from Malone. Denver closed the third with two more goals to make it 7-4 heading to the fourth quarter.
The LaMonicas struck again as Mike and Dan scored back-to-back unassisted goals just 46 second apart to put Maryland up 9-4 with 10:29 left in regulation. Denver made it close with two goals to make it 9-6 with 2:46 left. But Mike Mollot scored off a pass from Malone to seal it with 2:28 left. Denver's Travis Taylor added a goal with 2:00 left to make it 10-7.
Maryland's defense behind Howley and McGinnis was solid all day limiting Denver to just 23 shots and 25 groundballs. Maryland kept the Pioneers at bay on the extra-man holding them to just one goal on seven chance including a three-minute penalty to start the fourth quarter to an illegal Maryland stick.
On face-offs Ryan Moran was solid winning seven of 13 draws.
Game 3: Mar. 4, 2001
#8 Maryland 13, #7 Duke 5
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Behind a dominant defense and a high-powered attack, the No. 8 Maryland men's lacrosse team handed No. 7 Duke its worst loss in the series dating to 1984, beating the Blue Devils, 13-5 on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Byrd Stadium. The eight-goal margin of victory equals largest between Maryland and Duke since March 9, 1984, when the Terps beat the Blue Devils, 16-4. That contest was the first game coached at Maryland Dick Edell, who won his ACC-record-holding 161st game at Maryland on Sunday.
No. 8 Maryland's defense on man-down was amazing on Sunday, as the Terps held Duke to just one goal on 16 extra-man opportunities, as the Terps drew 16 penalties for 17 minutes. Overall, in allowing just five goals, Maryland held an ACC opponent to the fewest goals since North Carolina scored just four in a 5-4 Maryland win on April 1, 1989.
The offense did its part on Sunday as well, as the Terps' starting attack of Andrew Combs, Dan LaMonica and Mike Mollot combined for 11 of the Terps goals. Combs equalled his career-high of five goals for the second time this season and third in his career and now has 13 in three games this season. Combs scored both of Maryland's extra-man goals on Sunday and has all five of the Terps' extra-man goals this season.
Both LaMonica and Mollot each scored three goals and added an assist on Sunday. Overall, both LaMonica and Mollot now have seven goals in the 2001 season.
Maryland jumped all over Duke early on Sunday building a 3-0 lead in the first quarter behind those two extra-man goals by Combs and Mollot's first of the day. The Terps built a six-goal margin by halftime as LaMonica scored twice to make it 5-0 and Combs and Mollot scored to close out the half for the 7-1 Maryland lead at halftime.
The third quarter was more Maryland as Chris Malone scored 14 seconds into the half to make it 8-1 and Mollot scored his third of the game with 1:27 left in the third to make it 9-2.
Duke scored three times in the fourth, but the Terps tallied four goals as Combs notched his fourth and fifth tallies, while LaMonica posted his first career hat trick. Craig Hochstadt scored the Terps' other goal off an assist from Alex Poole.
In goal, Pat McGinnis was sensational, making 19 saves, including nine in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
