The Terps look to make it out of the first round for the first time since 2022.
For the 21st straight season, Maryland men’s lacrosse will take part in the NCAA Tournament. It will host Princeton on Saturday for the second time this year.
Maryland will look to avoid back-to-back first-round exits following last year’s upset loss to Army. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. and air on ESPNU.
What happened last time
Maryland faced Princeton on February 24, just four games into the season. The Terps entered the contest undefeated, coming off an overtime win, 13-12, over Syracuse, which remains one of their best wins of the season.
The Terps set the tone in the opening quarter, with their defense suffocating Princeton’s offense, holding them to just one goal. On the other end, Eric Spanos scored twice and Braden Erksa added one.
Maryland’s offense used the second quarter to extend its lead, putting together one of its best 15 minutes of offense this season. Spanos secured a first-half hat trick, while Eric Malever and Daniel Maltz each found the net twice. Princeton only managed to add two more, giving the Terps an 8-3 advantage at halftime.
The third quarter was the game’s most balanced. Princeton struck first early before Erksa responded. Braedon Saris then snagged the Tiger’s fifth goal of the day on their only extra man opportunity, and Danny Kelly answered on the Terp’s own man-up chance. Maryland brought a 10-5 advantage into the last 15 minutes.
In the final quarter, Princeton freshman Nate Kabiri, an All-Ivy League honorable mention, scored his third and fourth goals of the day, but Maryland still coasted to a 13-7 victory.
What’s happened since
Undefeated and ranked in the top five nationally, Maryland’s win over Princeton likely represented the apex of their season to this point. The following week, Maryland lost to No. 1 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, then barely escaped winless Brown in overtime.
The Terps are 3-4 since, and have looked largely uninspiring, with the exception of a comeback victory against Penn State.
Additionally, Erksa suffered a scary injury against Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament after absorbing a big hit. He was discharged from the hospital the following day, but his current status is unknown.
After the Terps handed Princeton its first loss of the year, the Tigers finished their nonconference slate winning two of their final three games, sandwiching an 18-7 loss to Duke between convincing wins over North Carolina and Rutgers.
The Tigers kicked off Ivy League play with a 15-14 loss to Cornell, and then rattled off three straight wins over Harvard, Dartmouth and Lehigh.
Disaster followed, though, as they lost to a one-win Brown team, 13-12. At the time, many believed this was the end of their hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
However, Princeton ended its season with four straight wins, beating Yale and Penn in the regular season and Ivy League Tournament.
Three Things to Watch
1. Opposite trajectories. Princeton is entering the tournament playing its best lacrosse of the season, while Maryland is fluttering. The Terps looked like the significantly superior team the first time they met, but both teams look drastically different compared to the beginning of the season.
2. Faceoffs. Luke Wierman went an absurd 20-for-23 on faceoffs the first time out against the Tigers. If he can get Maryland that many extra possessions once again, it will be difficult for the Terps to lose.
3. Last games. From here on out every game has a chance to be some of Maryland’s key players’ last. The Terps will be moving on from Ajax Zappitello, Logan Mcnaney, Wierman, Ryan Siracusa and Jack Koras among others after this season.