Walters's Career Ends in a Slump

Massachusetts 8, Maryland 5

PHILADELPHIA, May 27 -- Joe Walters slumped in his chair in the corner of a hushed Maryland locker room. His dejected, blank stare was a portrait of an all-American attackman baffled by the Terrapins' untimely offensive woes on lacrosse's biggest stage.

The Terrapins' offense betrayed them on Saturday and cost them a shot at winning their first national title since 1975. Unseeded Massachusetts stymied second-seeded Maryland's quartet of talented seniors en route to an 8-5 upset victory in the national semifinals in front of an NCAA tournament-record 49,562 at Lincoln Financial Field.

"It was the offense's responsibility to put the ball in the goal, and we didn't do it," said Walters, Maryland's all-time leading scorer. "I'll take full responsibility."

Walters was held without a goal for just the fourth time in 17 games this season, as the Terrapins (12-5) lost in the national semifinals for the third time in the last four years. Walters and midfielders Xander Ritz, Bill McGlone and Brendan Healy combined for 1-of-32 shooting. The performance left them struggling to account for what went awry.

"I really don't even know what to say about that," Ritz said. "We prepared for this game not just for the last week, but for basically four years. You build up to games like this, and it's definitely a major disappointment."

Massachusetts (13-4) became the first unseeded team since Maryland in 1997 to advance to the national championship game. The Minutemen will face top-seeded Virginia in the final here on Monday at 1 p.m.

Maryland's scoring woes stemmed from a combination of inaccurate shooting and stingy defense by the Minutemen, especially freshman goalie Doc Schneider, who made 15 saves to help preserve a 3-2 lead taken with 13 minutes 36 seconds to play in the second quarter. Keeping Walters from scoring was crucial, he said.

"He's probably the best shooter in college lacrosse," Schneider said. "We did a good job sliding to him early because he's such a threat and we respect him so much as a player. We were on his hands a little bit, so hopefully that gave me a chance to stop his shots."

Maryland was 5-for-43 shooting (11.6 percent) in the game. Terrapins Coach Dave Cottle was satisfied with his players' shot selection, just not the results. He lamented that no one was able to shoulder scoring responsibilities during Maryland's comeback attempt in the second half.

"Our seniors got us to this point," Cottle said. "It didn't work out for us. If there's any blame to be put, I think I'll take the blame rather than point it in anybody's direction."

Ritz put Maryland ahead 1-0 at the 9:14 mark of the first quarter with a low bounce shot past Schneider. The Terrapins' only lead of the game lasted less than a minute, though. Massachusetts freshman attackman Jim Connolly tied it 35 seconds later on a bounce shot that took a wicked hop over goalie Harry Alford.

The Minutemen went on to score five of the game's next six goals. All-American Sean Morris scored two of his game-high three goals during that stretch.

Maryland battled back and cut the deficit to 6-4 after sophomore attackman Max Ritz scored on a high shot with 12:48 remaining. Momentum had started to swing in the Terrapins' favor, but a gaffe on the next possession halted it.

When Walters didn't handle a pass about 20 yards from the goal, Massachusetts capitalized with a fast break. Clay Stabert found Connolly on the rush, and he scored a goal that deflated the Terrapins.

"At that point, you think you've got something going and it just ends like that," Walters said. "They get that goal to push it back to three and it just kills your momentum."

The game's final sequence typified the Terrapins' afternoon on offense. Down three goals in the final 1:21, Maryland began firing on Schneider in desperation. The Terrapins managed seven shots in that short time. Schneider saved five and one hit the pipe.

"I can't [find] the words to tell you how I feel right now," Walters said. "All I can say is that I never thought my career would end like this."