No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse gets revenge against No. 1 Notre Dame with 11-10 win

Photo courtesy of David Venezia

No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse knew the task at hand was difficult if it hoped to avenge last season’s national championship loss to No. 1 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish — who held the best offense in the nation at 19 goals per game — had lost just three times in a two-year span.

After surviving an offensive onslaught in the first quarter, the Terps (5-0) had exactly the opportunity they desired. They led 8-6 heading into the final quarter and had 15 minutes of play to hold onto their lead. 

But an incredible acrobatic play by Chris Kavanagh cut Maryland’s advantage to one. It responded immediately, though. After an offsides call on Notre Dame (3-1), the Terps moved quickly. Kevin Tucker found Braden Erksa cutting, scoring his lone goal of the game. 

Then, a great outlet pass from goalie Logan McNaney gave Maryland another transition opportunity. Erksa pitched the ball to Spanos, who dodged defenders and found the back of the net. These two goals gave the Terps a three-goal advantage and fueled them to an 11-10 upset victory over Notre Dame Saturday afternoon.

“We just needed to clean some things up,” head coach John Tillman said. “Better decisions, playing faster, being a little cleaner. Felt like the guys did that in the third quarter.”

However, the Terps could not draw up a worse start. Before they even had their first offensive possession of the game, they trailed by two goals. And Notre Dame’s attack looked as good as advertised in the opening quarter. It produced 14 shots, seven on goal and three found the back of the net.

The duo of Jake Taylor and Kavanagh gave Maryland fits all game long, particularly out of the gate. On the opening possession, Taylor caught a pass from midfielder Max Busenkell and in one fluid motion rifled a nifty behind-the-back shot that beat goalie Logan McNaney. Nearly one minute later, Kavanagh notched his first goal of the game from close range. The pair combined for seven goals.

While Maryland looked outmatched early and generated just four shots, it trailed by one goal after the first quarter. Eric Spanos was a big reason why. The 6-foot-5 junior scored on his first two shot attempts of the game, including one with seven seconds left in the period.

After conceding two goals right away, McNaney settled in and made crucial stops to keep the Terps within striking distance. His biggest save of the game came with 23 seconds left, denying Kavanagh’s last-ditch effort to tie the game. He finished with a season-high 16 saves.

Maryland completely seized the momentum in the second quarter. Freshman Jack Schultz beat his defender 1-on-1 and tied the game at three apiece four minutes in. Two possessions later, Bryce Ford spotted Daniel Kelly in front of goal, who maneuvered his way around two defenders and beat goalie Thomas Ricciardelli in the bottom corner.

This lead would be short-lived, though. Taylor’s second goal of the game, this time off a cut, tied the game back up. Quickly after, Busenkell restored the Fighting Irish’s lead, 5-4, heading into the break.

But this was a familiar situation for the Terps — trailing at halftime. In all but one game this season, Maryland has been down going into the locker rooms. Just as it’s repeatedly done, it came out looking like a completely different team.

“They’re the national champs, which means we have a lot of respect for them,” Tillman said. “I thought our guys competed really hard.”

While Bryce Ford was held scoreless in the opening half, he took over the third quarter right away. Ford beat his defender with ease and from the tightest angle, found the far side of the net. Then, with time winding down on the shot clock, Spanos noticed Ford on the far side of the field. Ford caught the pass and quickly fired off a powerful left-handed shot into the bottom corner.

He gave the Terps the lead, and one that it wouldn’t relinquish. Goals from Kelly and Schultz gave Maryland an 8-6 advantage going into the fourth quarter.

The Terps’ ball movement in the second half was impeccable, with everyone getting in on the action. Without one key player to hone in on, Maryland’s attack threatens teams from all angles. Five Terps’ got on the scoresheet to help overcome Taylor and Kavanagh’s efforts.

The defense got better as the game went on as well. That was led by Will Schaller, who made an incredible diving save with McNaney out of the net to keep Maryland in front, 6-5. His physicality also limited Kavanagh to just one goal through over three quarters.

The Terps clung to their fourth-quarter advantage — despite three late goals from Notre Dame — to pick up their biggest win of the season. 

“The whole environment felt like a Final Four environment which is pretty special,” Tillman said.

Maryland will be back in action on Mar. 8, returning to College Park for a meeting with Delaware (3-1).