Preview: Maryland men’s lacrosse looks to avenge last season’s loss to Loyola

No. 4 Maryland men’s lacrosse (1-0) welcomes in-state rival No. 12 Loyola (1-0) to SECU Stadium for its first home game of the season this weekend.

The Terps’ season opener last Saturday saw a double-overtime victory, the return of goalkeeper Logan McNaney and faceoff specialist Luke Wierman breaking Maryland’s faceoff record.

Maryland’s defense elevated in the closing minutes against No. 20 Richmond. That unit continued its strong stretch while the offense couldn’t score, until Owen Murphy hit a deep shot a minute into the double overtime period to end the game and continue the Terps’ successful season opener streak,

“Early season lacrosse is not gonna be a thing of beauty,” coach John Tillman said, “ At times on Saturday, we played way too fast and then we played way too slow … We gotta find that medium.”

McNaney was a major contributor to Maryland’s late-game defensive heroics. He recorded 13 saves in his return from a season-ending ACL injury last year — suffered against Loyola — and didn’t allow a goal after the seven-minute mark in the fourth quarter.

Partway through the third quarter, Wierman won his 12th faceoff of the day, breaking the program’s all-time faceoff record. The graduate student finished the day winning 17 of 29 faceoffs.

The Terps’ slate isn’t much easier against the Greyhounds with another ranked matchup on tap on Saturday. Maryland fell to Loyola in Week 2 last season, 12-7, despite attacker Daniel Kelly tying his career high with four goals.

The Greyhounds started last season hot with the win over the Terps and a 6-3 record before a three-game losing streak dropped them to .500. They rallied to reach the Patriot League tournament championship, but a defeat to Army — the school that Maryland lost to in the NCAA Tournament — ended their season.

Loyola looks similar to last season’s nine-win team this year. Eight starters, including six attackers, return to the 2024 squad.

“You look at that offense and it is a very experienced group,” Tillman said, “They’re still super talented. It’ll be one of the best offenses we see all year and our kids know that. I think they’re excited about the challenge… a lot of really, really good guys out there.”

In the win over the Terps last season, the Greyhounds’ attack was balanced. Four players scored two or more goals — including attacker Evan James’ team-leading three. All of the players who scored in that match have returned to the team this season. 

James has started his 2024 season well, coming off a 31-goal senior season. He had a nine-point game with five goals and four assists in Loyola’s 18-10 win over Georgetown. The Greyhounds also saw four-goal performances from attackers Matthew Minicus and Adam Poitras.

Defensively is where Loyola starts to raise some question marks. The Greyhounds lost two of their top defenders, Matt Hughes and Cam Wyers, from a season ago. The two combined for 46 caused turnovers in 2023. 

Look for senior Mustang Sally to fill that role. After forcing 20 turnovers in 2023, Sally started this season with a caused turnover and grabbed three ground balls last weekend.

Loyola will have a chance to hand Maryland its first loss of the season on Saturday. The Terps are looking for avenge following the result in 2023. Opening faceoff is set for 12 p.m. at SECU Stadium.