The Terps travel to Atlanta for the biggest game of the college lacrosse regular season.
“This isn’t a revenge game,” No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse head coach John Tillman said.
He knows the recent history between the Terps and Notre Dame. He remembers the feelings of standing on Lincoln Financial Field in late May of 2024, watching the final buzzer sound on an emphatic 15-5 win by the Fighting Irish over the Terps in the NCAA National Championship game. And despite all that — or perhaps because of it — Tillman is ready to wipe the slate clean and begin anew.
“Last year is last year … nothing we do Saturday is going to change last year’s game,” Tillman said. “We can’t lose our identity. We can’t just go rogue and be all emotional and get away from things that we’ve tried to preach. They’ve got to execute the game plan.”
The Terps and Fighting Irish play a championship rematch in Atlanta as part of the Atlanta Lacrosse Invitational. The game will begin at 1 p.m. at the Bobby Dodd Stadium and will be televised on the ACC Network.
No. 1 Notre Dame (3-0, 0-0 ACC)
2024 record: 16-1, 4-0 ACC
Head coach Kevin Corrigan is the longest-serving men’s lacrosse head coach in Division I. Across his 37-year tenure coaching the Fighting Irish, Notre Dame has grown into one of the premier names in the sport. That process culminated in back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024 — the first two in Notre Dame’s history — as part of a dominant stretch where the Fighting Irish lost only three games.
Notre Dame has begun 2025 in similar form. They drubbed Cleveland State and Marquette by a combined score of 42-15, before beating No. 11 Georgetown, 11-9, in a grudge match — the Hoyas were the only team to knock out the Fighting Irish last year. Maryland is the next hurdle standing in Notre Dame’s road to a three-peat.
“We like challenging ourselves,” Tillman said. “You certainly want to challenge yourself against the best teams, and Notre Dame has proven themselves to be the best team.”
Players to know
Chris Kavanagh, senior attacker, No. 50 — The youngest of the three Kavanagh brothers that have terrorized college lacrosse for the last decade, he has the potential to assert himself as the best this season. After setting a program record last year with 81 points — including five goals against Maryland in the national championship — Kavanagh already has 17 through Notre Dame’s first three games.
“[He’s] just an awesome lacrosse player,” Tillman said. “Instincts, skill, feel for the game, anticipation his processing skills … guys like that, you just feel like he’s a play ahead.”
Jake Taylor, graduate attacker, No. 13 — Taylor broke Notre Dame’s all-time record for goals in a game (8) his first time starting in the white, blue and gold, and he hasn’t stopped scoring since. This season, the sharpshooter has 10 goals, although he was held goalless against Georgetown. Taylor scored six goals in two games against Maryland last year and will hope to add to that tally this time around.
Shawn Lyght, sophomore defender, No. 90 — Freshman defenders typically take some time to adjust to the collegiate game, but Lyght proved the exception to the rule last season. He earned primary assignments in several top-10 battles and aced his tests on his way to an All-American second-team selection. In seven games marking Duke’s Josh Zawada, Virginia’s Connor Shellenberger, Maryland’s Eric Spanos — all twice — and Syracuse’s Joey Spallina, Lyght allowed just four goals.
Ben Ramsey, senior short stick defensive midfielder, No. 24 — The lone returning Irishman who was named an All American first teamer, Ramsey has stacked up accolades while playing in one of the most thankless positions in lacrosse. Ramsey makes an impact throughout the field, as his 39 ground balls, 13 caused turnovers and four points — including a game-winner against then-No. 10 Cornell — attest. Ramsey and the three aforementioned players are Notre Dame’s four contributions to the Tewaaraton Watch List — the most of any school.
Strength
Goalscoring. Notre Dame’s dominance comes down in large part to its efficacy in front of the net. The Fighting Irish have won 39 of their last 42 games, largely by waging siege on their opponents’ nets — Notre Dame has outscored its opponents by 283 goals across those 42 games. In this stretch, the Fighting Irish have shown they can score decisively in close games (5-1 in one-score games) and in not-very-close games (five double-digit wins against ranked opponents.)
Weakness
Extra-man defense. It is incredibly hard to poke holes in the two-time defending national champions, but their defending after conceding a penalty is perhaps the biggest question mark. Having played against Cleveland State, Marquette and Georgetown, Notre Dame has committed 11 penalties, allowing goals off six of them.
Three things to know
1. Mystery returners for Notre Dame. Sophomore midfielder Jordan Faison started all 17 games for Notre Dame last season, but missed the first two of 2025 after extended time off following a dominant football season. Now, after tallying a goal against Georgetown, Faison is in position to grow into playing time against the Terps.
Freshman midfielder and wide receiver Matthew Jeffery was in the same position. After tallying three shots in his debut with the Fighting Irish last week and clearly carving out a role in the team, Jeffery will be a near-complete unknown to Maryland scouts.
2. Faceoff advantage imperative. Despite losing the national championship game, the Terps won 17-of-24 faceoffs. Maryland may need to maintain a similar advantage to maximize their chances of winning Saturday. So far this season, Notre Dame faceoff players have a 60% win rate, while Sean Creter and Shea Keethler combine for a 60% win rate for the Terps.
“Some people might have thought it was going to be an enormous drop off from Luke, and Luke was certainly a generational type guy, but these kids have given us a chance,” Tillman said.
3. All-time advantage up for grabs. Maryland and Notre Dame have faced off 18 times in their history, with the teams claiming nine wins apiece. In recent years, though, the Fighting Irish have held the advantage, winning eight of the last 12 matchups, including the last three. With Maryland’s strength in numbers seeming to be a strong matchup against Notre Dame’s breadth of starpower, Saturday might be a golden opportunity for the Terps to end up on top.