Preview: No. 4 Maryland men’s lacrosse readies for ranked battle against No. 5 Syracuse

No. 4 Maryland men’s lacrosse (2-0) travels north to upstate New York to take on No. 5 Syracuse (3-0) on Saturday.

The Terps are no strangers to top-ranked teams this season, beating then-ranked No. 12 Loyola 11-4 last weekend. Maryland’s defense showed up in the home opener — after not allowing a goal in the first quarter, the Terps held the Greyhounds scoreless for the entire third period and a span of 34:27.

Goalkeeper Logan McNaney tore his ACL against Loyola one year ago, ending his senior season. In his second game back of his graduate year, McNaney recorded 12 saves and allowed just four goals against the Greyhounds.

On the offensive side, 10 different Terps scored a goal as they used a collective attack to strike. Senior Daniel Maltz scored twice, both in the third quarter, to push Maryland’s lead to 9-3 — the lone Terp to score multiple goals. Maryland closed out the win with two fourth-quarter goals from redshirt sophomore Eric Spanos and sophomore Eliot Dubick.

Maryland held Loyola attacker Evan James in check, not allowing a goal and holding him to just two shots. James scored three goals against the Terps last season and scored five in the Greyhounds’ opener this season.

“I thought Loyola played really well against us last year so there was a lot that we could look at and try to improve upon,” coach John Tillman said. “You’re trying to build on that but as we told the guys, what happens the week before does not carry over. Each week is a new challenge.”

With two ranked wins under their belt, Maryland now turns its sights to a new challenge in undefeated Syracuse.

The Orange sport a 3-0 record so far, including a ranked win over Colgate at home. Syracuse excels in many places, especially on the faceoff. Led by fifth-year specialist Mason Kohn, the unit rocks a .753 faceoff winning percentage — third-best in the nation. Kohn has won 77 percent of his faceoffs this season in his first year at Syracuse, and has also contributed two goals for the Orange’s offense.

“Our guys definitely realize it’s a huge challenge anytime you go to Syracuse,” Tillman said. “They’re well coached, they know what they’re doing, they’re tough, they play hard so it’s gonna be a battle. Certainly our biggest challenge so far this year.”

After winning ACC Freshman of the Year in 2023, Joey Spallina is putting together another award-winning season offensively for Syracuse. The sophomore attacker has 10 goals and 16 assists so far this year to lead the Orange.

Alongside Spallina is redshirt junior Owen Hiltz, who has contributed seven goals and eight assists through three games. Spallina and Hiltz combined for 60 goals in 2023 and are on pace to break that mark this season.

Maryland’s offense will be facing Will Mark in the cage. Syracuse’s goalkeeper has started all three games, recording 28 saves and allowing just 7.96 goals per game. But Mark has to face a Terps offense that has scored 23 goals in its first two games.

Maryland has already answered many questions in the opening games of the season. The Terps will look to build on their momentum in their toughest challenge yet this weekend.