COLLEGE PARK, MD – For the first time since 2010 the Army men's lacrosse team is advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament after a thrilling 16-15 victory over no. 4 seed and defending national champions Maryland.
Army started the game on fire, racing out to a 3-0 lead after goals from Avi Mehl, Ryan Sposito, and Gunnar Fellows.
After Maryland made it 4-2, Army used a 3-0 run on the backs of Sposito, Mike Tangredi, and John Manero to make it 7-2 after the first quarter.
The Terps would respond by going on a 5-0 run to knot things up. Reese Burek scored to retake the lead but with two minutes left in the half, Maryland tied it up at 8-8.
Despite being outscored 6-1 in the second quarter, the Black Knights took an 8-8 tie into the break.
Finn McCullough opened the second half by giving Army a 9-8 lead, then a 10-9 lead.
Andrew Kelly tacked on another one to go up by two.
The Terps would respond however. They rattled off three straight to end the third quarter with a 12-11 lead.
Patriot League Rookie of the Year Evan Plunkett quickly tied things up to start the fourth and Jacob Morin gave Army the lead just 28 seconds later.
After Maryland tied things back up, Dawson Clark scored a man up goal to regain the lead for the Black Knights.
Two minutes later, the Terps tied it again. With 3:36 left in the game Morin scored the biggest Army goal in a long time. He put the Black Knights up for good. Gunnar Fellows would tack on some insurance with 53 seconds left and Army would hold on for a 16-15 win over the defending national champions.
Knox Dent was absolutely incredible between the pipes tonight making 16 saves while being under attack for a majority of the game.
Army will now head to Annapolis for a quarterfinal matchup against the winner of Princeton vs. Penn State on Sunday May, 21.
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