Mr. Schutz ended up having a significant say in the latest edition of the border dispute. He had a game-high four goals and two assists and scored nine points for the Cavaliers, who won for the third straight year and remained perfect on the road this season.
“We really tried to focus on ourselves and make sure we did what we could do,” said Schutz, who at 6-foot-3 and weighs 220 pounds puts a physical strain on Maryland’s diminutive midfielder. “I put in the effort, and I think that really helped.” “Obviously the results are great. Certainly, it’s nice to be able to keep the monkeys away.”
The decisive development occurred late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, as Virginia (6-1) scored three straight goals to extend its lead to 12-7 with 13 minutes, 21 seconds left in regulation. The final game came when midfielder Chase Yeager, a transfer from Harvard, picked up a rebound from an initial miss and beat Terrapins goaltender Logan McNaney (10 saves) to end the comeback.
Graduate attacker Connor Shellenberger also scored in the frenzy, scoring the 276th point of his illustrious career. Shellenberger, who became the program’s all-time assists leader last weekend, needs two points to overtake Matt Moore as the Cavaliers’ career leader.
Virginia goaltender Matt Nunez kept Maryland (5-2) at bay early, finishing with 9 saves on 19 shots on target. His close defense was just as good, especially Cole Kastner. The senior captain helped hold Terrapins attacker Eric Spanos to just two goals early in the first quarter. The junior led Maryland with 15 goals this season.
The Cavaliers committed 16 turnovers and committed just eight. Clearance was also 19 out of 22 times.
The Terrapins cut the deficit to 12-10 with 11:04 left in the fourth quarter, but Virginia State scored as freshman attacker McCabe Miron and graduate attacker Peyton Cormier, two of the nation’s best prospects, both scored. He finished the game and withstood the rally. .
“They’ve had a lot of issues, but I think they’ve done a really good job of doing what they’re supposed to do,” Maryland coach John Tillman said of the Cavaliers. “They do a good job of putting pressure on, whether it’s a clear game or in the early attacks from attack to defense. They’re really unique. They keep using their entire attacking team, so they can play defense. There is a need.”
After a 5-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters, Virginia led 7-5 at halftime. Schutz had a hat trick in the first half, and with 7:55 left in the second quarter, his underhand shot sailed into the top corner of the net for a 6-2 lead, the Cavaliers’ largest to that point. .
The Terrapins responded with three straight goals, the last two of which went off Nunez’s stick. Senior attacker Kelly and graduate midfielder Ryan Siracusa hit shots into small windows to pull Maryland within 6-5, but a poor clearing pass from McNaney a minute later gave the Cavs the winning point. Ta.
Cormier intercepted the ball near midfield and sent a pass to Milon, who beat McNaney from inside 15 yards with 2:49 left in the first half. Miron finished with three goals.
“He’s a big man, and what he did today is what we’ve been encouraging him to do and begging him to do,” said Virginia coach Lars Tiffany, who was just seven goals away from entering the weekend. He talked about Schutz. “Maryland’s game plan was to win a lot of matchups. We weren’t winning a lot of matchups against short-stick defensive midfielders, so it boiled down to, ‘Schutz, you’ve got a long pole. I know I have it, but somebody has to win the matchup.” I challenged him. Boy, did he step up. โ