Riley Reese’s overtime winner seals No. 12 Maryland men’s lacrosse’s thrilling 8-7 win over No. 9 Ohio State

It was only fitting that No. 12 Maryland men’s lacrosse’s game-winning goal against No. 9 Ohio State came from defender Riley Reese on Senior Day.

After three seasons on the bench — appearing in 10 games during that stretch — Reese was cast into the starting role following a gruesome injury to Will Schaller. All hope seemed lost for the Terps with their top defender likely out for the rest of the season. But the senior has quickly settled into Maryland’s defensive trio, finding an instant connection with Eric Spanos.

Reese’s first career point came during the Terps’ rout of Michigan, setting up Spanos for one of his career-high eight goals. That duo linked up once more in Saturday’s first overtime period, but the roles were reversed. Spanos whipped a pass in transition to Reese standing unmarked just outside the crease.

The senior defender buried it into the top corner and was instantly swarmed with hugs. Reese’s first career goal — and shot on goal — propelled Maryland to an 8-7 victory over Ohio State for its first ranked win of the season. Against the nation’s top defense, goals were always going to be hard to come by for the Terps’ attack.