The Terps embark on a conference road trip.
It’s no surprise to No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse head coach John Tillman that the season has gone by quickly.
As the calendar turns to April, Tillman’s Terps only have three games remaining in the regular season. Their next game, at Rutgers, precedes a trip to No. 3 Ohio State and a nightcap against their hated foes in No. 17 Johns Hopkins. That makes the Scarlet Knights arguably the most straightforward remaining matchup for Maryland — but Tillman has continued to stress to his players the importance of their next game.
“Everybody is definitely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and [realizing] that you got to start stacking wins,” Tillman said. “So now, you’re getting everybody’s best shot. … We have to keep getting better. We cannot relax.”
The Scarlet Knights will give the Terps their best shot at 5:00 p.m. at SHI Stadium on Saturday. The game will stream on Big Ten Plus.
Rutgers (5-6, 1-1 Big Ten)
Head coach Brian Brecht has had a tumultuous 13-year tenure at Rutgers. Having been charged with turning around a program with four 10-win seasons across 41 years of existence, it took Brecht time to implement his system and change the school’s culture. Rutgers’ patience was rewarded with a glorious 2022 season, where the Scarlet Knights went 15-4 and reached the Final Four for the first time.
Brecht recorded his 100th win as Rutgers’ coach in February, but the Scarlet Knights have had a middling season. Rutgers is 2-4 in ranked games, with highs — such as an 11-8 win at Johns Hopkins — mixed with lows — an 11-7 home loss to UMass. The program hopes to finish .500 or better for the fifth consecutive season, a feat not accomplished since the late 1980s.
Players to know
Matthew Paolatto, graduate faceoff specialist, No. 27 — Paolatto’s 61.2% success rate at the faceoff circle ranks 12th in the nation, but even that figure understates the Union transfer’s propensity to step up in big games. In matchups against three of the current top six teams — No. 6 Army, no. 4 Princeton and Ohio State — Paolatto has single-handedly won the faceoff battle for Rutgers.
He’s established an offensive presence, too, with two goals and two assists in two conference games.
Cardin Stoller, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper, No. 92 — Stoller’s presence between the sticks has been crucial for the Scarlet Knights. The Owings, Maryland, native has been rewarded for his 128 saves — tied for eighth-highest in the country — with a Midseason All-American Honorable Mention.
Colin Kurdyla, sophomore midfielder/attacker, No. 88 — The younger Kurdyla — his brother, Brady, rotates in the midfield as a junior — has taken over in the Rutgers attack. A Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch, he leads the Scarlet Knights with 25 points (16 goals and nine assists) and has multiple points in each of the last four games.
Strength
Preventing goals. Rutgers has the 14th-best scoring defense in the country. It plays a stingy, physical brand of defense that has been tough to crack, with only one team scoring more than 11 against the Scarlet Knights. That physicality can occasionally cross the line — Rutgers has been flagged 30 times this season, the most in the Big Ten — but helps the team set the tone for the low-scoring, gritty games they thrive in.
Weakness
Scoring goals. The Scarlet Knights average 9.8 goals per game, the 56th-best mark in the country. Over a third of their 108 total goals were scored in two lopsided Tuesday afternoon home wins against Long Island University, 17-3, and St. John’s, 21-11. Exclude those matchups, and Rutgers averages under eight goals per game.
Three things to know
1. Midseason merits for Maryland. On Thursday, Inside Lacrosse released its Nike Lacrosse Midseason Media All-Americans list, and the Terps dominated it. Eric Kolar, Will Schaller and Logan McNaney made the first team, with eight total Terps receiving nods. This acknowledgment from national media is long overdue; just one Terp made the preseason list — McNaney as an honorable mention.
2. The Terps take the Scarlet Knights historically. Maryland visits New Jersey on a 19-game winning streak against the Scarlet Knights, whose single win all-time against the Terps came in 1980. The program has never lost a road game at Rutgers.
3. Maryland record about to fall. McNaney looks set to receive several national accolades by season’s end. For now, the goalkeeper is in line to receive one for the team. Vaunted Terps goalkeeper Kevin O’Leary had 705 career saves in the 1980s, and McNaney sits at 698. With eight saves against Rutgers, McNaney will become Maryland’s all-time leader in saves, a record that looks set to stand for a long time.