Season preview: Maryland men’s lacrosse uses portal to bolster roster

Franklin Zessis
3 hours ago
3 min read

Top-ranked Maryland men’s lacrosse enters the 2026 season in a similar spot to last season.

At the start of last year, the Terps faced significant roster turnover after falling in the NCAA Championship the prior season. This year is much of the same as the Terps will be without three of their top-six point scorers and Second Team All-American goalie Logan McNaney.

To fill some of those spots, Maryland utilized the transfer portal. The Terps secured the nation’s best transfer class, according to Inside Lacrosse, and not only filled its holes but also improved its roster heading into the new season.

“Guys that have been around, there's an emotional maturity, physical maturity, and just the speed of play at college lacrosse,” coach John Tillman said. “I don't think any coach in any sport would turn their eyes away from maybe somebody in the portal that could add leadership, some experience, the size and strength, to help a team.”

One of the biggest areas that the Terps struggled with last season was on faceoffs. The Terps ranked fourth among six Big Ten teams, winning 51.2% of their draws last season.

To improve this area, Maryland brought in senior Henry Dodge. The Vermont transfer was dominant in the faceoff circle last season, earning America East Faceoff Specialist of the Year and America East All-Conference First Team last season.

“Henry's been great. He's a guy that, you know, we knew he had really strong ability at the ‘X’,” Tillman said. “We call our face-off group the hog pen, and Henry has taken on a leadership role in that right away. So he's been great for Jonah [Carrier] and our other faceoff guys.”

Joining Dodge in the transfer portal were graduate students Chris Lyons and Leo Johnson. The Yale products each scored over 100 career goals at Yale and will not only look to replace top scorers like Bryce Ford and Daniel Kelly, but also bolster Maryland’s scoring prowess.

While Maryland did lose half of its top-six scorers from last season, attackers Braden Erska and Eric Spanos returned. The two combined for nearly a third of Maryland’s total points last season and will likely continue to spearhead the Terps offense.

But Spanos will take on a new role this season, donning jersey number #1 for the Terps. The jersey not only represents a player’s elite skills but also signifies a leadership role on the team.

“It's definitely a huge honor,” Spanos said. “There have been so many great players to wear it before me, and it's kind of just wanting to make everyone proud.”

Defensively, the Terps remain mainly intact. Senior long-stick defender Will Schaller highlights the group, earning USILA first team All-American honors last season, while frequently drawing opponents’ top scorers.

While fellow seniors AJ Larkin and Eric Kolar also return to Maryland’s defense, the unit is further bolstered by the addition of graduate student defender Michael Alexander.

The Yale transfer missed most of last season due to injury, but tallied 52 groundballs and 27 caused turnovers over the prior three seasons. Alexander’s ability to create turnovers and snatch groundballs will be crucial for the Terps as they ranked in the bottom half of the Big Ten in both categories last season.

Perhaps the biggest turnover from last season comes at the goalie position. Logan McNaney was the anchor for Maryland’s defense, finishing the 2025 season with a .590 save rate and getting selected 11th overall in the 2025 PLL draft.

Usurping McNaney’s spot is Brian Rupple. The senior played 13 games during the 2023 season, while McNaney missed most of that year due to injury. Rupple boasted an 8-5 record and a 484 save percentage during that stretch as the Terps dropped their opening game of the NCAA tournament to unranked Army.

“He knows what the weekly prep is like [and] he's played in some really tough venues,” Tillman said. “I think that's huge for him … and becoming the starter is never easy.”

The Terps will have one unique challenge heading into their season opener against Loyola Maryland. The game has been moved from SECU Stadium to the Jones-Hill House, marking just the second time a regular-season game has ever been played at the facility.

“I don't think a ton changes for us,” Tillman said. “Inside, it's a little harder to hear…The surface isn't too much different, so I think for us, it won't change a ton.”

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