The Terps kick off their 22nd consecutive postseason run.
No. 2-seed Maryland men’s lacrosse’s schedule up to this point can be best described as a meat grinder.
The 11-3 Terps have four wins against top-five ranked opponents and seven wins against teams ranked in the top 20. Its losses have all come against Big Ten opponents. Outside of its 14-3 win against Delaware, it’s hard to argue the Terps have had any “easy” games.
In light of Maryland finishing Big Ten play on a low note, keeping perspective with the caliber of opponents they have faced is important to head coach John Tillman.
“You kind of step back after the season and you’re like, ‘Holy crap.’ I give our kids a lot of credit,” Tillman said. “We certainly had our good moments and our bad moments, but overall, playing that schedule, the guys definitely accomplished a lot. Certainly, some things we’d like to have back, but we kind of are where we are at this point.”
Where the Terps are is the NCAA Tournament. Maryland has secured its 22nd consecutive postseason appearance, and will host Air Force at SECU Stadium on Sunday. The game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU and will be available to stream on ESPN.
Air Force Falcons (9-7, 4-1 Atlantic Sun)
Sometimes lacrosse games — and even tournaments — boil down to who gets hot at the right time. That was the case for the Terps last year, as they stormed their way to the title game. This year, Air Force head coach Bill Wilson has his Falcons picking up steam at the right time.
Air Force enters its game against Maryland on a seven-game winning streak, the second-longest in the country. The Falcons turned their season around after starting 2-7, largely on the back of an improved defense. In their first nine games, Air Force allowed over 12.5 goals against per contest.
Across the Falcons’ winning streak, that average has dropped to 9.5 goals against per game, even with the 15 goals conceded in their 16-15 regular-season ending win against Utah. As a result, the Falcons made the NCAA Tournament for their first time under Wilson.
Air Force traveled to Robert Morris and handled matters in the opening round, jumping out to a 7-2 lead just under 20 minutes in. From there, the Falcons kept Robert Morris at arm’s length. Air Force held a multiple-goal advantage for the rest of the game on its way to a 14-9 victory, booking its ticket to College Park on Sunday.
Players to know
Josh Yago, senior attacker, No. 10 — Yago was one of two Falcons to record five points in their opening round game against Robert Morris, scoring two goals and assisting three more. With 36 goals and 34 assists, Yago’s quality brings balance to the Air Force attack that is top-20 nationally in scoring offense. He ranks 17th in the country in individual points per game.
Caelan Driggs, junior attacker, No. 1 — Driggs was the other player who recorded five points on Wednesday. However, all of his were goals. That’s what the junior from Pennsylvania does — he scores. Driggs’ 3.62 goals per game are third in Division I, and he ranks one spot behind Yago in points per game. Tillman and the Terps will have a difficult time deciding which offensive threat Will Schaller is assigned.
Cole Cunningham, junior defender, No. 11 — Cunningham was named the Atlantic Sun Conference’s Specialist of the Year. The junior from New Jersey is a do-it-all player that loves the dirty work — his 5.12 ground balls per game are third-most in Division I among players who don’t take faceoffs, and he has caused 17 turnovers on the season.
Strength
Shot efficiency. The Falcons have converted 202 goals from just 593 shots — their 34.1% conversion rate is second in the country, just behind Cornell. Air Force is one of just 12 teams to have scored over 200 goals so far this season; the fact they have scored so much with good shot selection indicates the quality of their offense.
Weakness
Faceoffs. While the Air Force defense has dramatically improved across the season, its presence on the X leaves much to be desired. The Falcons’ 46.1% faceoff win rate ranks 54th in the country, and all four players who have taken multiple faceoffs for Air Force win them at a sub-.500 rate. Sunday could prove to be the perfect get-right game for Maryland’s faceoff specialists Shea Keethler and Jonah Carrier.
Three things to know
1. Maryland holds all-time advantage. Maryland and Air Force have not faced off since 2009. However, the Terps have won all six meetings between the two teams, which stretch back to 1970. Air Force has never scored more than six goals against Maryland.
2. Terps’ No. 2 seed experience is thin. Maryland is the No. 2 seed for just the fourth time in program history. The Terps were formerly second overall in 1979, 1996, and 2006; the closest they have gotten to winning from the seed was the title game in 1979.
3. Tillman looks to extend his record. Coming off the back of a contract extension that will keep him in College Park until 2030, the Maryland head coach has a chance to extend his own records. Tillman’s 14 straight seasons making the tournament is the longest streak in Maryland history, and his 31 tournament victories are the most by any active head coach.