Comeback falls short, #2 Maryland men's lacrosse falls 13-12 vs. #12 Princeton

Franklin Zessis
20 hours ago
3 min read

Maryland men’s lacrosse had thrived in third quarters through the first two games.

Twelve of Maryland’s 28 goals had come in the third quarter. But Friday’s contest saw the opposite happen.

No. 12 Princeton outscored No. 2 Maryland 4-3 in the third quarter, allowing the Tigers to edge past the Terps 13-12 at SECU Stadium in College Park. Maryland’s loss is the first to Princeton in the John Tillman era, and is just the ninth time the Terps have lost consecutive games under the head coach.

“They had a really good game plan, very similar to what we saw last year against Rutgers and Michigan, …. be patient, be patient, be patient.,” Tillman said. “We were super close, but we didn't finish, and they did a great job of just jamming the inside.”

The key to Maryland’s (1-2) third-quarter success had come from the strength of its faceoff specialists. The unit dominated opponents through the first two games, winning 16 of 17 faceoffs. The extra possessions had allowed Maryland’s offense to control the pace and find openings in its opponents' defenses.

While Saturday’s contest offered similar faceoff success, it did not translate to goals.

The duo of Jonah Carrier and Henry Dodge won seven of eight faceoffs in the third quarter, but Maryland only converted three of its third-quarter possessions into goals.

The biggest reason for Maryland’s offensive struggles was its turnovers. In prior games, Maryland had struggled with what Tillman called either “sloopy” or “silly” turnovers in the first half, but corrected its errors in the first quarter after halftime.

But Maryland’s turnovers persisted against Princeton (1-1). The Terps committed four turnovers in the third quarter, equaling their total from the two previous games.

The clearest combination came with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Following a goal by Princeton’s Parker Reynolds, Dodge won the faceoff clean and sprinted straight to the goal. He then hurled a pass to Eric Spanos, who netted his second goal of the game and put the Terps within a point.

Dodge looked to do the exact same thing after winning another clean faceoff against Andrew McMeekin. But Maryland could not take advantage and the possession ended with a shot clock violation.

“You look back in a one goal game, and there's all these little plays,” Tillman said. “But all those little plays add up.”

In last season’s contest between Princeton and Maryland, both offenses prevailed early in the game as each squad notched four first quarter goals. Saturday’s contest was the exact same as both teams scored early and often.

The Terps success primarily came from the faceoff circle. Dodge and Carrier combined for three faceoff wins in the first six minutes — with two coming via faceoff violations.

Once Maryland got into the offensive zone, it was prolific. The Terps scored on four of their first five possessions and used varying shot placement to keep Princeton goalkeeper Ryan Coddrick offbalance.

Princeton’s offensive plan was much more evident: attack the short side of Brian Ruppel. The Tigers frequently placed near-side shots on goal, with most coming to Ruppel’s right side. The game plan was successful against Maryland’s goalkeeper, as it scored each of its first three goals on short-side shots.

Despite the strong start Maryland’s offense could keep up the same torrid pace. The Terps scored just five times over the next 39:08 of game time resulting and were plagued by transition turnovers. The lack of scoring allowed the Tigers to overcome an early two-goal deficit and secure a win despite a late push by Maryland.

“In the settled offense, that's where I think we got to get better,” Tillman said “We just, we need to do a better job in the settled [offense creating opportunities.”

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