After over 120 minutes of action, Ohio State and Maryland are deadlocked, 20-20, with each side holding a one-point victory.
The Buckeyes topped the Terps 11-10 in overtime back in April, putting them in the driver's seat for the regular-season Big Ten championship at the time. When the team's met again in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, it was Maryland who got the victory, downing Ohio State 10-9.
On Monday, the two teams will go at it again for a rubber match, this time with the national championship on the line. If the team's previous match ups are any indication, it will be an absolute thriller.
Maryland and Ohio State met for the first time this season in the Horseshoe in a late-season, top-10 matchup with Big Ten title implications. The No. 2 Terps came to Columbus looking to lock up the conference title while the No. 7 Buckeyes looked to steal the driver's seat for the Big Ten championship and defend their home field against a second top-2 team in one season.
After the teams traded early goals to make it 1-1, Maryland took control. The Terps went on a tear, scoring six of the next seven goals to take a 7-2 lead just three minutes before the half, but the Buckeyes wouldn't die.
Ohio State rattled off seven unanswered goals to take the lead. The Buckeyes notched two goals just before the half to cut the lead to 7-4, then scored the only four goals of the third quarter to make it 8-7.
The Terps finally found the back of the net again in the fourth, knotting it up at eight. The teams each scored two more in the quarter to make it 10-10 and each made a clutch defensive stand at the end of regulation to send it to overtime.
In overtime, the Buckeyes won the face off and Johnny Pearson found the back of the net thanks to a rebound from Eric Fannell's shot that went off the post. It was the game-winner, giving Ohio State an 11-10 win.
Johnny Pearson wins it in OT for @OhioState_MLAX, 12-11 Final. The Big Ten runs through Columbus. pic.twitter.com/lNd4jtoWMi
— Dan Aburn (@danaburn2423) April 22, 2017
The teams met for a second time less than three weeks later in the Big Ten Tournament championship game with Maryland as the No. 1 seed and Ohio State as the No. 2. While it didn't have the dramatic momentum swings of the first matchup, it was no less exciting.
Ohio State hopped out to a 3-1 lead early in the first quarter, and the was the only time in the game a team would lead by more than one goal. Maryland scored the next three to take a 4-3 lead, but the Buckeyes responded with another goal to tie the game at four entering halftime. The teams each scored just once in the third quarter before both offenses caught fire in the fourth.
The teams nearly doubled their scoring output for the game in the fourth quarter, combining for nine goals in a back-and-forth scoring barrage. The Terps scored first to make it 6-5, then Ohio State scored twice to go ahead 7-6, then Maryland scored twice to retake the lead at 8-7.
The teams traded goals until the score was even at nine and the Terrapins notched a game-winner at 3:27 to give them a 10-9 win and the Big Ten title.
@11W those were two excellent games this year. I don't know if you all are that into the sport, but your team is good at it.
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) May 7, 2017
As Scott Van Pelt put it, these are two incredibly good lacrosse teams that played two incredibly good games this season. And it's to our great pleasure that they'll play one more, this time for a national title on Monday afternoon.
So whether you love the sport, watch it on occasion or know nothing about it other than ball + back of net = points, tune in. These teams deserve your viewing eyes and based on the quality of their battles earlier in the season, you won't be disappointed.
