No. 11 Maryland men’s lacrosse’s offense struggles in 10-6 loss to No. 9 Penn State

Franklin Zessis
2 minutes ago
3 min read

A comeback for No. 11 Maryland men’s lacrosse seemed imminent.

A goal by AJ Larkin in transition cut No. 9 Penn State’s lead to one, with 7:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Terps failed to score the rest of the game as the Nittany Lions finished the game on a 3-0 run.

The run stifled any chance of a Maryland comeback as the Terps dropped their Big Ten opener, 10-6 at Panzer Stadium in University Park, Pa. The six goals marked a season-low for the Terps’ offense and their first loss at Panzer Stadium.

Early on, the contest was not close. Penn State (5-3, 1-0 Big Ten) dominated Maryland (3-4, 0-1 Big Ten) in the opening quarter, scoring as many goals as the Terps registered shots.

Penn State entered the game with the nation’s eighth-best scoring offense and inflicted most of its damage through its off-ball movement, assisting on 61 of its 99 goals this season.

The unit continued that trend against a Maryland defense that was without Will Schaller after he suffered an injury during overtime against Virginia in Maryland’s prior matchup. The Terps' man coverage struggled to contain a Nittany Lions attack that was without Hunter Aquino, last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, resulting in several wide-open looks.

Penn State’s offensive unit was aided by its faceoff, which thrived against Maryland’s duo of Henry Dodge and Jonah Carrier. Maryland’s faceoff team entered the game as one of the top groups in the nation, as Dodge’s nearly 68% win rate was the best among faceoff specialists.

But the unit struggled against Penn State, losing six of its first eight faceoffs and winning just eight of 19 all game.

The extra possessions allowed the Nittany Lions to score seven times in 18:46 of game time and take a 7-2 lead. But coach John Tillman made a change to Maryland’s defensive scheme. Rather than playing man coverage, the Terps switched to a zone defense.

The adjustment provided immediate improvement as the Terps shut out the Nittany Lions for over two quarters and created 14 turnovers.

The defensive stops allowed Maryland to regain some of its offensive rhythm and slowly cut into Penn State’s lead. But the Terps never tied the game.

The biggest reason for Maryland’s offensive woes was the play of goalie Preston Hawkins. The freshman entered Saturday’s contest, recording just one game in which he made 10 or more saves. Against Maryland, he stopped a career-best 14 shots.

His best save came with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter as attacker Eric Spanos finessed around two different defenders with a pair of stick fakes, but was stopped by Hawkins on the ensuing shot.

Spanos had previously missed the past three games due to a lower-body injury. The graduate student tied a season-best six shots on goal in his return to the lineup but failed to score on every attempt.

While Maryland’s offense eventually cut its deficit to one score, Penn State ended its goalless drought by scoring three times in the final seven minutes and keeping Maryland off the scoreboard.

Maryland’s offensive struggles despite Spanos’ return are a concerning sign as its final four games of the season are all against Big Ten opponents, with three coming against teams ranked within Inside Lacrosse’s top-20 rankings.

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