No. 11 Maryland men’s lacrosse’s struggles continue in 10-6 loss to No. 9 Penn State

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Athletics.

No. 11 Maryland men’s lacrosse’s season is starting to approach panic button territory. In State College against No. 9 Penn State (5-3, 1-0  B1G) for their Big Ten opener, The Terps (3-4, 0-1 B1G) were met with the same agonizing struggles that plagued them throughout their non conference schedule. 

The Nittany Lions’ ability to maintain possessions and get shots on Maryland goalie Brian Ruppel pushed them to a 10-6 win on Saturday. 

Maryland’s offense couldn’t find a rhythm. The stout Penn State defense had answers for everything the Terps threw at them. 

Early in the game, Maryland’s offense held their own. The game was tied at two late in the first quarter, with goals coming from Braden Erksa and Leo Johnson – anchors of the Terps’ offense in the absence of Eric Spanos. 

Then Penn State went on a five goal run that lasted all the way towards the final minutes of the first half. They were able to possess the ball well, raining fire on Maryland goalie Brian Ruppel. 

Ruppel played a good game once again, tallying 11 saves and earning a 0.524 save percentage. However, Penn State was able to shoot 42 times – which was too much for him to handle given the poor offensive game. 

Eric Spanos was back in the lineup today for the first time in a few weeks. That came at the price of Maryland captain Will Schaller being inactive on the defensive end – a huge loss for an already struggling unit. 

Spanos struggled in his return to the field. He had zero points on seven shots, thanks to the game Penn State goalie Preston Hawkins produced. 

Of Maryland’s 28 shots fired, 20 of them were on cage – a recurring struggle with the Terps offense.

Hawkins had 14 saves and only gave up six Maryland goals. 

Leo Johnson only scored once. Elijah Stobaugh – arguably the brightest spot for the Terps offense – was held scoreless. 

When Maryland did have possession, Penn State had an answer. Quality possessions for the Terps were hard to come by. 

The same issues that have been hanging over Maryland’s heads – turnovers, quality transitions, and possession time –  still remain. The Terps had 12 turnovers in the game and failed three clears. 

Face-offs – which have been a bright spot lately for Maryland – were hard to come by. Penn State won the face-off battle 11-8. 

This was the Terps’ fourth loss of the season in March. They’ll look to bounce back next weekend, as they’re set to take on Michigan in Ann Arbor on Mar. 28.