Phipps update and Terps scheduling bit

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. --- After asking a bit about the national title game, I made it a point to prod Maryland lacrosse coach Dave Cottle for some updates on his own program.

Two things of note:

* Goalie Brian Phipps, who tore an ACL in the Terrapins' quarterfinal loss to Syracuse, will undergo reconstructive surgery. It isn't the first time he'll deal with that process; he ended his junior year in high school with an ACL tear on his other knee.

The lesson? Phipps should be glad he doesn't have another junior year.

Incidentally, Phipps needed 5 1/2 months to come back from that surgery. So while fall ball isn't an option, Cottle is optimistic Phipps will be ready to go for the start of next season.

* Next year brings a bit of a calendar reset, since Memorial Day will be on the 31st --- effectively adding a week to the season. The ACC tournament will actually stay in about the same place on the calendar but a week earlier on the schedule. That zaps Maryland's game against Penn.

Meanwhile, the Ivy League begins its league tournament next year on the season's final weekend. Maryland played Yale on that date the last few years, so there's two holes for Maryland to fill.

Cottle said he hasn't worked much on next year's schedule, so there's no word quite yet on how that works out. But it will be worth keeping an eye on.

--- Patrick Stevens