No. 8 Maryland men’s lacrosse’s offense could do no wrong in Saturday’s contest against No. 19 Rutgers.
After the Scarlet Knights netted the game’s opening score, the Terps turned it on and never looked back. Maryland scored nine consecutive goals — its longest run since a commanding victory over Albany in 2024.
That 30-minute stretch between the first and third quarters saw the Terps take an eight-goal lead. Maryland didn’t waver, piling it on behind a six-goal second quarter to cruise to a 12-2 win
Saturday at SECU Stadium.
The victory clinched the Terps at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title, leaving them as the lone one-loss conference team.
Head coach John Tillman has consistently discussed the fluidity of Maryland’s offense when everyone gets involved. Following seven different players scoring in the Terps’ overtime victory over then-No. 9 Ohio State, Maryland reached new heights in Saturday’s game.
The Terps’ ball movement allowed them to thrive in transition and set offense, resulting in nine goalscorers.
Maryland’s third goal was the perfect encapsulation of that. After Riley Reese’s third forced turnover of the game, AJ Larkin scooped up the loose ball and took it coast-to-coast for his fifth goal of the season.
Just one week following his game-winning goal on Senior Day, Reese stacked dominant performances. It came on the defensive side on Saturday, though. He was influential in five of the team’s 12 caused turnovers.
But despite the Terps’ relentless defensive pressure, their transition opportunities were limited. Rutgers got back and eliminated Maryland’s chances of a quick score.
It still didn’t matter. That was largely due to Eric Spanos’ bounce-back performance. Following his second scoreless outing during conference play, the senior attacker returned to form. He imposed his will for a team-high three goals.
Spanos’ 6-foot-5 stature caused Rutgers all sorts of problems. On his first score, the All-Big Ten first-teamer backed down his defender before spinning to his dominant hand and unleashing a rifle into the top corner.
Even when Maryland faced double-teams, its clean passing granted the open attacker a free look at the cage.
With five minutes left in the opening quarter, Braden Erksa capitalized on the helpside defender leaving Leo Johnson alone. Erksa’s quick recognition allowed him to feed the ball to Johnson on the wing. The Yale transfer didn’t hesitate, burying the shot past Rutgers goalie Cardin Stoller for a 2-1 lead.
The Terps piled it on in the second quarter. Five players contributed to Maryland’s six-goal barrage, opening up a commanding seven-goal halftime lead.
While the Terps’ offense was clicking on all cylinders, the defense was easily the team’s best unit of the game. Maryland limited a Rutgers’ attack that usually scores nearly 12 goals per game to just two on Saturday.
Colin Kurdyla was practically nonexistent. The team’s top goalscorer only fired two shots and none tested Brian Ruppel. That was a common theme — Rutgers rifled 24 shots, but only 10 went on goal.
The Scarlet Knights’ limited offense came off the stick of Greyson Vorgang. He netted both of the team’s goals and did so on only three shots. His performance was the lone bright spot on an otherwise convincing Maryland victory.
Even when Rutgers generated a look, Ruppel was up to the challenge. The senior netminder stopped eight shots for a season-best .800 save percentage.
Three things to know
1. Erksa facilitates Maryland’s offense. While the senior attacker has struggled to generate his own goals, Erksa has been one of the team’s top creators. The Terps have never lost a game this season when Erksa logs an assist, and that continued. He contributed to four of the team’s 12 goals.
2. X dominance. Henry Dodge and Jonah Carrier were key pieces in Maryland’s ability to keep Rutgers silent. The duo corralled 12 of the game’s 18 faceoffs, including 10 of the 11 first-half bouts at X. That allowed Maryland to limit the Scarlet Knights’ goalscoring opportunities.
3. Statement win. Heading into the final three games of the regular season, the Terps lacked a ranked win on their resume — they defeated Virginia before it jumped into the top-20. That’s quickly changed. Maryland has recorded consecutive Big Ten wins against ranked foes, and Saturday’s performance was easily the team’s best of the season.
