No. 9 Maryland men’s lacrosse off to worst start since 1993, drops third straight in 11-8 loss to No. 2 Notre Dame

Franklin Zessis
2 minutes ago
3 min read

No. 9 Maryland men’s lacrosse looked different just before Saturday’s opening faceoff.

Eric Spanos was listed in the starting lineup, but Maryland’s second-leading goal scorer stood on the sideline in a gray hoodie.

Maryland’s offense struggled without Spanos, netting a season-low eight goals in an 11-8 loss to No. 2 Notre Dame at SECU Stadium in College Park. The loss marks Maryland’s worst four-game start under coach John Tillman and its worst program start since 1993.

“When we look at what we're trying to do offensively, we're just not in sync and not in rhythm,” Tillman said. “We thought Eric was going to be able to go today … which was definitely something that was a little surprising.”

Tillman added that Spanos was a game-time decision heading into Saturday’s contest and was ultimately unable to play due to injury.

Spanos was a staple of Maryland’s (1-3) offense, finishing as one of the Terps’ top two point scorers in each of the past two seasons. The graduate student produced similar results this season, posting multi-goal performances in each of Maryland’s first three games this season.

Spanos’ absence was immediately evident, as Maryland failed to record a shot on goal on each of its first three possessions. While the Terps escaped the first quarter with a one-goal advantage, their offensive problems persisted into the following quarters.

Maryland struggled with transition turnovers in its prior game against then-No. 12 Princeton, and those struggles continued against one of the nation’s top defenses. Notre Dame (4-0) entered Saturday’s contest averaging 13.3 caused turnovers per game — third best in the nation.

The Fighting Irish produced three in the second quarter, with all of them coming in transition. Every turnover proved costly for Maryland as Notre Dame turned every turnover into a goal on the ensuing possession and took a 6-4 lead into halftime.

Maryland’s offense had typically improved, coming out of the halftime break. On Saturday, it did not.

The Terps struggled with accuracy in the second half, placing just 15 of 40 shots on goal and finishing with a season low 20 percent shooting percentage.

“You look at the third quarter, right, 14 shots and one goal,” Tillman said. “We’ve got to look at pretty much everything … how we're shooting, what we're thinking, release points, all that.”

Maryland’s offensive woes were epitomized in the third quarter as attacker Braden Erksa sprinted down the left side, drawing a pair of Notre Dame defenders. The senior then hurled a pass to a wide open Leo Johnson by the far post, but the graduate student attacker tapped his shot just wide of the near post.

The combination of second-quarter transition turnovers and Maryland’s offensive inaccuracy prevented the Terps from scoring for nearly 21 minutes, allowing Notre Dame to go on a 7-0 run.

One of the few bright spots for Maryland was goalie Brian Ruppel. The senior stopped a season-best 11 shots, with several coming on high-danger opportunities.

“Brian can only really do so much, so… give Brian his due,” Tillman said. “Part of goalie play is the shots that you're facing, and I think we can all help them do a little bit better there.”

Despite Ruppel’s strong performance, it was not enough to overcome Maryland’s offensive woes. Saturday’s contest marked Maryland’s third consecutive loss and prompted a players-only meeting after the game.

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