🆚: Virginia Cavaliers
📺: ESPNU
🕝: 2:30 PM
By now you know the story. Virginia and Maryland met in the National Championship last year, with the Cavaliers winning their second straight championship after Alex Rode stopped a Luke Wierman shot as time expired. The two teams met again this year in the regular season, this time a 23-12 Terps victory. While the win in D.C. was a pivotal moment for this team, the one that really matters is the one tomorrow afternoon in South Bend.
Wierman vs Lasalla II
If the last two matchups are any indication, this matchup will decide the outcome of the game. In 2021, Wierman went 14-30 against LaSalla, and Justin Shockey was 2-7. As mentioned before, Wierman also had an opportunity to send the game to overtime but was unable to finish past Alex Rode. This year in March, Wierman dominated LaSalla and Gable Braun, and Maryland won with ease. I am willing to bet that the stat sheet will be much more even between the two tomorrow, but whoever is able to secure more possessions for their offense will undoubtably boost their teams chances of making it to Championship Weekend.
Another interesting storyline at the face-off X is the potential of a Gavin Tygh vs Petey LaSalla duel. Tygh was part of Virginia's championship team last season as LaSalla's backup. If Wierman should struggle tomorrow, it will be interesting to see how quickly Tillman decides to change things up. It's not unprecedented for Tillman to throw different face-off men out there. He famously used a combination of Austin Henningsen, Will Bonaparte and most notably, Jon Garino, who started off the year as the third string FOGO. Garino was crucial in their road to winning the national championship, as his throwback, standing style gave TD Irelan (Albany), Trevor Baptiste (Denver) and Jake Withers (Ohio State) fits. It's not unlike in football when the starting quarterback is replaced mid-game by the backup that the defense hasn't prepared for. Each face-off man has their own style. My point being, if Gavin Tygh should have to come in for Wierman at all, it may just be because it is a better matchup.
The Tewaaraton Battle
The other matchup to watch is between the two number 1's, Logan Wisnauskas and Connor Shellenberger. The two Tewaaraton Finalist (Heisman of lacrosse) will certainly be the focal points of both defenses. In the first matchup this season, they recorded equal stat lines of 3 goals and 2 assists. In last years championship game, both players led the way for their teams with Wisnauskas recording 5 goals and an assist and Shellenberger finishing with 4 goals and 2 assists. It's safe to say that both players will get theirs, but wins may secure the Tewaaraton for themselves.
Complimentary Scoring
While the two number 1's will get their points, who steps up and compliments their scoring will be something to watch for as well. In March, Anthony DeMaio (2 goals, 4 assists), Keegan Khan (4 goals, 2 assists), Owen Murphy (3 goals, 1 assist), Jonathan Donville (3 goals), Eric Malever (2 goals, 1 assist) and Roman Puglise (2 goals) all recorded multiple points. All season long, the most impressive thing about this years squad to me has been their depth of scoring. Maryland has always had the talent, but depth has plagued them in the past, especially in the early years of Tillman's tenure. It may not be the same players that shined in the previous matchup, but as long as there are two or three other players who step up, I like the Terps chances.