Maryland Captures 2017 NCAA Lacrosse Championship with Win over Ohio State

After coming close so many times, Maryland is the men's lacrosse national champion for the first time since 1975.

The top-seeded Terrapins earned a 9-6 win over Ohio State in the finals Monday thanks to three goals from Tim Rotanz.

Maryland lost the title game in each of the last two years and four of the last six, but the squad was finally able to come through this time around. 

The team's account captured the celebration on the field:

The Maryland women also won a national championship Sunday with their win over Boston College.

Defense was key in this one, holding a talented Ohio State group in check. Eddie Timanus of USA Today noted one player who was singled out for his performance:

On the other side, it was a day of unexpected stars coming up for Maryland. 

The program's all-time leading scorer, Matt Rambo, was held relatively in check with just one goal on 11 shots. Fellow star Colin Heacock had zero points on the day.

However, the rest of the squad took the opportunity to shine, like Adam DiMillo:

Dylan Maltz also had two goals and an assist in the low-scoring win.

Tom Carey was the star for Ohio State in net with 13 saves, keeping the Buckeyes in the game after they fell behind. Stops like this were key throughout the day:

Unfortunately, there simply wasn't enough offense to keep up with Maryland.

The start of the game was as close as you would expect from teams who had split a pair of one-goal games over the course of the season. Ohio State grabbed an early lead but the Terrapins ended the first quarter up 3-2.

Maryland earned some breathing room in the second quarter thanks to some solid defensive play while controlling the clock. Edward Lee of the Baltimore Sun described the action going into halftime:

The defense continued for both sides with just a 1-1 third quarter, giving the Terps a 6-3 lead going into the last 15 minutes.

Two more goals from Maryland built an 8-3 score that seemed like it would be enough for an easy win. However, Ohio State awoke from there.

This rocket from Tre Leclaire was part of a 3-0 run from the Buckeyes: 

However, Rotanz effectively clinched the win for the Terps with an open-net score with about a minute remaining.

The win ends an extended run of disappointment for Maryland, which had nine losses in the finals since its last title. This could perhaps take the pressure off for more deep runs in the future.

Meanwhile, Ohio State proved it can battle the top programs in the sport and can be a force in lacrosse going forward.