Preview: No. 6 Maryland men’s lacrosse travels to in-state rival Loyola

Photo courtesy of Maryland Terrapins

Many questions were asked about No. 6 Maryland men’s lacrosse (1-0) throughout the offseason as it dealt with the departures of two of its stars — faceoff specialist Luke Wierman and defender Ajax Zappitello.

And the Terps put all the doubts in the rearview after their season-opening 12-7 win over No. 18 Richmond. But the scoreline doesn’t accurately reflect Maryland’s dominance. It held a seven-goal advantage at the break before taking its foot off the gas pedal in the second half.

Now, the Terps will meet up with in-state foe Loyola (Md.) on Saturday. The Greyhounds sit at an unofficial ranking of No. 22 according to Inside Lacrosse, despite dropping their season-opener 13-6 to No. 11 Georgetown.

Maryland will be looking to replicate last season’s run to the national championship. It created extra possessions by using the second-best faceoff success rate in the country.

However, without Wierman — the program leader in career faceoff wins and best faceoff winning percentage in the country last season — the Terps will use a committee to fill the void.

The combo of Sean Creter and Shea Keethler has taken the reins. Against the Spiders, Creter won half of his 10 faceoffs, while Keethler won six of his eight. Maryland converted on 13 of its 21 duels, a mark slightly above last year’s percentage.

The Terps’ defense looked just as good without Zappitello as it started the 2025 campaign. They held Richmond scoreless in the opening half, allowing 13 shots and six on goal. The lone addition to the starting line — junior Will Schaller — forced one turnover and picked up 

one ground ball.

It also helps when you have Logan McManey in the net. The 5-foot-10 goalie has been exceptional after his freshman season, starting in every game since then besides his 2023 injury. His 14 saves against the Spiders sit as the third-most in the country.

While the rest of Maryland’s game was humming on Saturday, its offense took a bit to settle in. But once it did, Richmond had trouble slowing it down. The Terps generated just three shots on goal in the opening period, two of which resulted in goals. 

However, Maryland’s offense was firing on all cylinders in the middle two quarters, mustering up 19 shots, 11 on goal and nine goals.

It carried over its balanced attack from last season. Transfers Matthew Keegan and Bryce Ford combined for five goals in their debut, while Daniel Kelly and Braden Erksa produced five goals on nine shots. Midfielder Zach Whittier scored a goal with time winding down in the first quarter.

The most impressive goal came from Creter. With the Terps looking to hold off an early push from Richmond in the third quarter, he won the faceoff, sprinted down the field with ease and fired a rifle into the right corner for his first career goal. The play gave flashes of Wierman, who had five goals in the same manner last season.

But Maryland will now have to avoid falling in a trap game. The Terps have three matches against top-5 teams awaiting. However, Saturday’s matchup will be one that can’t be overlooked, as it fell to Loyola (Md.), 12-7, in the last road meeting.

“There is something to be said for having experiences, sometimes good experiences, sometimes bad experiences,” head coach John Tillman said. “Last time we went up there, it didn’t go well. I think a lot of guys remember that.”

Head coach Charley Toomey brings experience as he embarks on his 20th season at the helm of the Greyhounds. He was one of the assistant coaches for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2023 World Championships. Toomey guided Loyola (Md.) to three straight NCAA quarterfinal appearances from 2018-2021.

However, the Greyhounds have yet to get back to the tournament since then. Last season, they finished 7-8, their first losing record in a decade. 

And Loyola (Md.) started 2025 with a game that they should’ve had. It led 4-1 in the first quarter before giving up six unanswered goals. After cutting the deficit to one, Georgetown scored the final six goals.

Junior attacker Matthew Minicus has been as good as advertised since arriving on campus. He had one of the best freshman campaigns in the nation before being named All-Patriot League second team last season. Minicus contributed to four of the Greyhounds’ six goals against Georgetown, with two goals and two assists.

The only other returner from Loyola’s (Md.) four All-Patriot League honorees in 2024 is defender Remi Reynolds. The 6-foot senior transferred in from Rutgers two seasons ago and immediately made an impact. He collected 32 ground balls and forced a team-high 17 turnovers last year.

Saturday’s matchup will be the 26th meeting between these squads. Maryland holds a 22-3 advantage in the series, but the Greyhounds have found more success recently, winning three of the past seven contests.

The game starts at 1 p.m. and will air on ESPN Plus.