COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Loyola University Maryland matched University of Maryland’s 3-0 run with one of its own to tie the game at 10-10 on Brian Sherlock’s fourth goal of the game, but the third-ranked Terrapins’ Bryan Cole scored with 3:05 remaining in regulation to push Maryland to an 11-10 non-conference victory on Wednesday night at Byrd Stadium.
Maryland (10-1 overall) reeled off three-straight goals midway through the third quarter, and Billy Gribbin’s strike with 5:27 left in the stanza gave the Terrapins a 10-7 advantage, the largest margin either team had in the game.
Zack Sirico, however, beat his defender with a roll dodge from behind the crease to score with 3.1 ticks left in the third, bringing No. 19 Loyola within a pair entering the final period.
Greyhounds goalkeeper Grant Limone made three saves on Maryland shots in the first eight minutes of the fourth, preserving the 10-8 score, and Loyola was then the first team to score in the frame at 6:17.
Nikko Pontrello dodged up-field on the right side and skipped a pass to Sherlock on the high right wing where he delivered an 18-yard shot high-to-high. Pontrello finished with a game-high three assists in the game.
Brendan Donovan won the ensuing faceoff for the Greyhounds, and Sherlock scored on the run down the left alley with 5:45 on the clock, knotting the score for the seventh time in the game.
His four goals eclipsed his previous high of three that he has recorded six times, most recently on Saturday in a win over the U.S. Naval Academy.
Brian Begley picked up the ground ball off another Donovan faceoff win — Donovan was 11-of-19 in the game, and Loyola had a 15-of-24 overall advantage in restarts — and Loyola went back on offense with the score tied.
A Romar Dennis shot went high, and then Maryland’s Kyle Bernlohr saved a Sherlock shot from the right side, enabling the Terrapins to clear the ball.
Cole cut across the face of the goal inside five yards and caught a high-to-low feed by Joe LoCascio to score the go-ahead goal with 3:05 remaining.
Loyola came away with possession again on the faceoff, but Bernlohr again made a save to get the ball back for Maryland, The Terrapins turned the ball over with a 30-second clock violation, and Loyola cleared to its end and called a timeout with 20.7 seconds left.
Pontrello had a tough-angle shot go wide, and Zach Herrerweyers shot just before the buzzer was turned away by Bernlohr to preserve the win for the Terrapins.
Limone made 13 saves in goal for the Greyhounds, while Bernlohr stopped 10. For the first time all season, however, he did not have more saves than goals he surrendered. Loyola’s 10 goals scored matched the most Maryland has allowed this year. The Terrapins entered the game allowed nearly two fewer goals than any team in the nation (4.8).
Loyola opened the game with goals from Herrweyers and Sirico in the first five minutes, but Maryland tied the game after Colin Heacock and Matt Rambo scored at 7:48 and 6:20.
Those goals were part of a 4-1 Terrapins run as Jay Carlson and LoCascio scored in the final four minutes of the opening period, sending the game to the second with Maryland up, 4-3.
Romar Dennis took a Tyler Albrecht flip feed to score 37 ticks in the second,a nd Sirico added his second of three 26 seconds later to put Loyola up, 5-4.
Maryland scored two in a row to go up, 6-5, on Gribbin’s first of the game with 11:17 left in the game, but Albrecht had a highlight reel over-the-shoulder goal while on the run after catching a Pontrello pass.
Albrecht’s goal came with 10:10 left in the second, but it was the final goal of the first half after the teams combined for 12 in less than 20 minutes.
Loyola returns to Patriot League action on Saturday, April 11, when it travels to New England to face Boston University in a 1 p.m. game.
