There wasn't much Maryland men's lacrosse coach John Tillman could do except stare at the ground, trying to find the words to console his players, many of whom were still sprawled on the turf at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
How else could he and his team handle 41 years of frustration?
The Terrapins fell short of winning their first NCAA national championship since 1975 with a deflating 14-13 overtime loss to unseeded North Carolina May 30. Since winning the title, Maryland has been national runner-up nine times and made 19 NCAA tournament semifinals without bringing home a trophy.
"Right now, we just have to deal with the disappointment, and I told them that eventually it gets a little less severe," said Tillman, who was emotional throughout his postgame news conference. "It dulls a little bit, and we have to reflect back on the journey for some of these guys -- it's been one, two, three or four years of a journey."
