Maryland men's lacrosse looks to return to .500 in road game vs. Michigan

John Gugs
27 minutes ago
5 min read

#12 Maryland 3-4 (0-1) at Michigan 3-6 (0-1)

Where: Ann Arbor, Michigan

When: March 28, 2PM

TV: BTN

Betting: Maryland -3.5, O/U 21

The Terps started off Big Ten play with a 10-6 loss at Penn State in a game they never had control of and were never able to bounce back after being dominated in the first quarter. This weekend, the Terps will be looking to rebound against a team that has had their number lately in the Michigan Wolverines when they travel up to Ann Arbor.

Michigan is led by former Terps defensive coordinator Kevon Conry. Conry is in his ninth season with the Wolverines where he has a career record of 56-62. Conry is 4-6 against the Terps in his career including winning the last four matchups over the Terps. Michigan is currently on a six game losing streak after starting the season 3-0 with their latest loss being at the hands of Johns Hopkins by a score of 14-8.

On offense, Michigan is led by Nick Roode and Luke Shannehan. Roode leads the team with 28 points while Shannehan is second on the team with 26. Roode leads the team with 23 goals while Shannehan is tied for first on the team with seven assists. As a whole, the Michigan offense has struggled to score, only scoring 11.2 goals per game. A big reason for that has been their ball movement. The Wolverines only average seven assists per game. Another big reason for Michigan’s offensive struggles is turnovers. The Wolverines have turned the ball over 15.8 times per game through their first nine games this season. If the Terps are able to win their matchups and force Michigan to cough the ball up this weekend, they should be able to pull out the win this weekend.

On defense, Michigan is led by Rowan Clay and Will Tominovich. Clay is first on the team in caused turnovers with 11 while Tominovich is second on the team with nine caused turnovers. While neither CLay or Tominovich are not that big with neither defender being taller than 6 foot or bigger than 200 pounds, they are a fast defensive duo that can cause havoc for quick attackmen like Braden Erksa and Leo Johnson. One reason the Michigan defense is struggling this season has been their goalie play. Hunter Taylor is a four year starter for the Wolverines but he is having his second worst season of his career so far only saving 49.7% of the shots on goal he has faced. Against the Terps, Taylor has a career save percentage of 55.8 and has only been below 50% once in his four games against the Terps. When Taylor is on his game, he can be very hard for an offense to figure out and score on and he typically is on his game against the Terps.

Things to watch out for

Who guards Eric Spanos?

Last week against Penn State, Eric Spanos was held scoreless for just the seventh time in his career as a Terp. In what will be his second game back from injury, Michigan’s best two cover defenders are guys that Spanos usually has a good day against. Clay and Tominovich are meant to cover attackmen that are quick and fast, meanwhile Spanos is more of a mauler and bruiser that will use his size to his advantage which could mean he will get matched up with the freshman defender Niholas Voultos. Voultos has two caused turnovers and six ground balls on the season while playing in seven games and starting in the last three. If Spanos draws Clay or Tominovich, look for him to use his size to his advantage this weekend. But if Tominovich gets to cover Spanos, look for Spanos to use his experience and IQ to beat the freshman off the ball a bit more.

How does the goalie battle play out?

In a game against two offenses that are struggling to score and two defenses that are desperate for a win, goalie play will be crucial to who wins this weekend. Brian Ruppel has turned his season around saving 50% or more of his shots faced in the last four weeks. Last week Ruppel made some key saves in the second and third quarter while the Terps offense was trying to make a comeback. Taylor, while he has struggled this season, he has always seemed to play well and come up in crucial moments when facing the Terps. Whichever goalie has the better day, I like that teams’ chances to pull out the win.

Which team can play the cleaner game?

Both teams are desperate looking to bounce back with a win. Two things that have plagued both teams this year have been turnovers and penalties. Michigan turns the ball over 15.8 times per game while the Terps turn the ball over 14.9 times per game. Michigan also commits 3.1 penalties a game while the Terps have committed two penalties per game. Whichever team is able to cough up the ball less and not put themselves in man down situations will have a big advantage in the game this weekend and should pull out the win.

IBG prediction: Michigan and Conry have had the Terps number the last three years winning the last four matchups. The last two matchups have been one goal games including Michigan’s triple overtime win in College Park last season. Can this be the year the Terps finally get the best of Michigan again and get back to .500 on the season as well as conference play? I believe so. The Terps have the advantage at the face-off dot and they have a slight advantage in goalie play right now as well. While the Terps might have lost last week, a six game losing streak like Michigan is on is hard to swallow and get over mentally which could help out the Terps as well. I expect this to be a close game due to the familiarity of the staffs, but I think the Terps will pull out a win in Ann Arbor by a score of 11-9 and go to 4-4 on the season.

This is a crucial game for both teams. The Terps will be looking to avoid their first 0-2 start in Big Ten play since joining the conference and their first 0-2 start in conference play since 2012. The game is set to face-off at 2PM and will be airing on the Big Ten Network.

Related Links