The Terps look to remain undefeated against an elite program.
The snowfall in College Park this week heralded a turn in season for No. 6 Maryland men’s lacrosse. With two games down, it is official: No. 2 Syracuse is coming.
The Orange will bring their offensive firepower — and upstate New York weather tolerance — to SECU Stadium Saturday in the first of three consecutive matchups against top-eight teams for Maryland.
Maryland has not lost to Syracuse in 15 years, when the Orange took down the Terps in the 2009 NCAA Tournament championship game. Last year almost changed that: the Terps had to come from behind multiple times in the fourth quarter to force overtime and win their sixth consecutive matchup.
The Terps will look to make it seven, as they host the Orange Saturday. The game will begin at 2:00 p.m. and stream on Big Ten Plus.
No. 2 Syracuse Orange (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference)
2024 record: 12-6, 3-1 ACC
Head coach Gary Gait’s fourth season at the helm of the Orange looks like it could be his best yet. The Orange have rattled off three straight wins at the JMA Wireless Dome to open the season, including an 18-7 pounding of No. 18 Towson. Saturday will be their first road game of the season.
While a legendary player, Gait’s tenure with the Syracuse has not yet taken off — the program missed the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2023 with a 1-5 conference record both years. The Orange made the tournament last season, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Now, buoyed by a promising junior class, the Orange look to stake their claim as a contender for their first national championship since 2009.
Players to know
Joey Spallina, junior attacker, No. 22 — Syracuse’s attack revolves around Spallina. The highest-rated recruit in the class of 2022, Spallina followed up a 68-point freshman year with 88 points — 37 goals and 51 assists — last year, the most ever by a Syracuse sophomore. And he just keeps getting better, with a NCAA-high 21 points through three games.
Michael Leo, junior midfielder, No. 7 — Leo was an All-American honorable mention last year, contributing 37 points from midfield and accounting for nearly 20% of the Orange’s NCAA Tournament goals. The junior has nine points this season, including two from man-up situations, where he is a focal point.
Owen Hiltz, redshirt senior attacker, No. 77 — Hiltz has 15 points through three games, tied for second-most in Division I behind Spallina. The Ontario native has scored at least one point in each of his 48 collegiate games thus far.
Strength
Goalscoring. Last season, the Orange had the sixth-best scoring offense in Division I, averaging just shy of 15 goals per game. And while they have played a game more than many teams, their per-game numbers still pop off the screen with 18.3 goals per game, the sixth-most in the nation.
Weakness
Penalties. Syracuse has been called for 17 penalties and totaled 12 penalty minutes, far and away the most of any team in the top 20. By comparison, the Terps have been called for just three penalties and 90 total seconds of penalty time.
Three things to know
1. Which Maryland team shows up in the turnover column? The Terps have 32 turnovers through two games — the same number as the Orange, who have played a game more. Tillman praised his side postgame after committing just seven turnovers through three meaningful quarters against Richmond, but they followed that up with 18 turnovers against Loyola.
2. Power plays potentially decisive. The Orange are lethal with a man-up advantage, converting five of eight such opportunities this season. However, they also commit penalties at a high clip. Maryland will likely have plenty of opportunities to improve their 40% extra-man opportunity conversion rate this season.
3. Gait’s Maryland homecoming. Gait spent nine years as an assistant coach for Maryland’s women’s team. From 1995-2001, under the stewardship of Gait and head coach Cindy Timchal, the Terps won seven consecutive NCAA championships. With Maryland and Syracuse’s women’s teams facing each other earlier Saturday, Gait will likely see plenty of familiar faces in the crowd.