Where We Are
Maryland men’s lacrosse found itself in an early-season battle, facing a three-goal deficit heading into the fourth quarter against No. 10 ranked Loyola. The Terps had struggled to generate clean looks against a disciplined defense, and their ball movement lacked the sharpness they needed to create space. But as the game wore on, they found their rhythm at just the right time, storming back in the final 15 minutes and ultimately sealing an 8-7 overtime victory.
Head coach John Tillman and his staff made key adjustments after three quarters of stagnation, emphasizing quicker ball movement and increased tempo to disrupt Loyola’s defensive schemes. That shift ignited Maryland’s attack, leading to four straight goals in just over four minutes. Senior attackman Eric Spanos was at the heart of the rally, scoring three times in that stretch to complete his sixth career hat trick. Braden Erksa added another goal, while Daniel Kelly found space late in regulation to put the Terps ahead before Loyola forced overtime.
“We knew we weren’t playing to our standard, and we needed to change the pace,” Spanos said. “Once we started moving the ball faster and forcing them to rotate, we started getting the shots we wanted.”
Despite Loyola’s last-second equalizer, Maryland never let the pressure of overtime alter its focus. Senior faceoff specialist Shea Keethler won the crucial faceoff, and the Terps never gave possession back. Less than three minutes later, Matthew Keegan worked his way around the cage and placed the game-winner past the goalkeeper, securing Maryland’s second win of the season.
Defensively, Maryland showed flashes of dominance, particularly in the opening quarter when they held Loyola scoreless for the first 18:27 of the game. Logan McNaney recorded 10 saves and became just the fourth goalie in program history to surpass 600 career stops. Though the Terps had defensive lapses in the second and third quarters, they locked down when it mattered, holding Loyola to just one goal in the final 20 minutes of play, including overtime.
Where They Stand
Maryland checked in sixth nationally in a pair of polls after falling four spots in Inside Lacrosse's rankings and two spots in the USILA's update this week.
What’s Ahead
Now, Maryland turns its attention to No. 2 Syracuse, a team with a high-powered offense that will test the Terps’ defensive discipline.
With a 2 PM start set at SECU Stadium on Saturday, Maryland has won 13 of 19 meetings against Syracuse including the last five. Ironically, Saturday will mark just the sixth regular-season meeting between the two since 1971 despite the third consecutive season of the matchup.
Syracuse is off to a 3-0 start this season after outscoring their opponents, 55-17, to open the 2025 campaign.
Faceoff control will be a key factor, as Maryland dominated that area against Loyola, with Keethler and Sean Creter combining to win 13-of-19 draws. The ability to dictate possession could prove crucial in keeping Syracuse’s offense off the field.
“We just kept trying to grind,” Tillman said. “Early season lacrosse is always a learning process, and these types of games force you to grow. This team has shown it can battle, and now we’ll see how we respond to another big test.”
With a strong foundation of experience, depth, and in-game adaptability, Maryland has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the best. Their next challenge will reveal just how far they’ve come—and how much further they can go.
Syracuse Overview
Syracuse is a team that returned some of the most production from their squad last season. Six of Syracuse’s top eight leading scorers are back this season. Syracuse is a serious contender for the top offense in the country and it all starts with the nation's leading scorer in Joey Spallina. Spallina has 21 points through the first three games of the season with 10 goals and 11 assists. The next biggest threat to worry about on Syracuse’s offense is Owen Hiltz. Hilts has 15 points on the season off of seven goals and eight assists. Spallina and Hiltz are about as good of a one-two punch that you will find in college lacrosse. But what makes the Syracuse offense so deadly is the fact that anyone on their midfield can score at will as well. The Terps will very much have to “pick your poison” this weekend when deciding who they want to limit the most. Syracuse moves the ball so well because their midfielders do a great job at beating their man and drawing slides to open up their attackmen.
While Syracuse’s offense draws all the attention, their defense has flown massively under the radar to start the season. Syracuse has a stud at every close defense position. Riley Figuerias is their main close defender and I would expect him to be guarding Braden Erksa this weekend. Billy Dwan is Syracuse’s bruiser of their close defense. Dwan is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and is great at using his size to disrupt his opponents. Look for Dwan to match up with Spanos to limit his driving ability that he flashed in the fourth quarter last week. Lastly, you have Michael Grace. Grace is an incoming transfer from division three lacrosse powerhouse RIT. Grace was a two-time first-team All-American and was the DIII Defender of the Year last season. Grace has shown he very much belongs at the DI level through the first three games of the season with three caused turnovers and seven ground balls to start the season. I would not be shocked if Syracuse puts a short stick defensive midfielder on Daniel Kelly instead of a close defender and puts Grace on the top midfielder on the field for the Terps. While the Syracuse close defense unit is one of the best in the country, they also have one of the most underrated short stick defensive midfielders in the country in Carter Rice. Rice is insanely quick and can stick with anyone he guards. So far this season, Rice has six ground balls and a caused turnover to his name while also picking up an assist.
Gugs’ IBG Prediction
Last year, this matchup ended up being one of the best games of the year and went to overtime where the Terps would eventually squeak out the 13-12 win. With both defenses humming and the weather expected to be rainy and cold, I expect this game to also be a very close and tough game. I think both defenses will have the edge over the offenses for most of the game and there will not be much scoring until the fourth quarter. I think the Terps will be able to contain the Syracuse offense just enough for the offense to pull out the win. I see the Terps pulling out the early top five victory in their second overtime game in a row with a score of 10-9.
After last week’s ugly win, the Terps will be looking to show they can still hang with one of the big dogs and last week was a fluke. This is by far the Terps biggest test of the season so far and fans will learn a lot about this squad by Saturday night.
By: John Gugs & Henry Lilienfeld
Photo: Maryland Athletics
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