No. 12 Maryland men’s lacrosse’s inconsistent offense has contributed to slow start

Franklin Zessis
1 day ago
2 min read

Maryland men’s lacrosse looked dominant in its season opener.

The Terps scored four or more goals in three of the four quarters and finished with 19 goals — the most since the team’s 2022 undefeated season. But since No. 12 Maryland’s game against Loyola, it has fallen into a familiar trend.

Spurts of excellence followed by extended scoreless runs hurt Maryland last season. That trend has continued this season as a combination of pacing and turnovers has hampered the Terps’ offense.

“I think it's a little bit of everything,” coach John Tillman said. “I think inconsistency is a good word, because I feel like that's the way we've been for a good chunk of the year, to be honest, including the fall.”

Turnovers have marred the Terps all season. Maryland has committed 13 or more turnovers in five of its seven games this season, with several of those turnovers being described as “silly” by Tillman.

The Terps have frequently missed teammates on passes in the offensive zone, resulting in the ball going out of bounds and ending the possession. Tillman credited some of those issues to injuries sustained during the fall and spring, preventing Maryland’s attack from developing strong chemistry.

Those issues were highlighted during Maryland’s lone win streak this season as the Terps combined for 37 without attacker Eric Spanos in their wins over Delaware and Virginia.

While Maryland reduced its turnovers to 12 with the return of Spanos in its last game against then-No. 9 Penn State, the Terps struggled with their pacing and gaining possession.

Maryland’s strong faceoff unit had helped it overcome high turnover numbers in prior games this season. But for the first time all year, the Terps secured fewer faceoffs than their opponent.

Penn State dominated possession in the first half, winning eight of 12 draws. The added possessions allowed the Nittany Lions to sustain pressure on a Maryland defense that was without 2025 Big Ten Defender of the Year Will Schaller, and contributed to a nearly 18-minute-long goalless drought from Maryland.

While Maryland adjusted to a zone defense and held Penn State’s offense scoreless for over 35 minutes of game time, Tillman said that the adjustment made it harder on Maryland’s offense.

Tillman added that by playing a zone defense, the opponent typically has the ball longer in the shot clock, limiting the number of opportunities for Maryland’s offense.

“If they're going to play those long stretches, the game is going to be shorter,” Tillman said. “You're just not going to have as many possessions. So turnovers become magnified because you just don't have as many chances.”

When Maryland gained offensive possessions, Tillman stated that he thought the ball got “stagnant" and made it easier for Penn State to play defense. The result of the various factors was a season-low six goals for the Terps’ offense.

But Maryland’s offense has a good opportunity to rebound in its next game. Maryland will travel to a Michigan team that has surrendered more goals than anyone else in the Big Ten and averages the fewest goals per game in the conference.

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