No. 12 Maryland’s men’s lacrosse (3-4, 0-1 Big Ten) has fallen short of sky-high expectations to start the 2026 season. Now, it faces a critical game as it looks to keep pace in the Big Ten conference standings. 

Maryland will play Michigan in what could make or break what has been a disappointing season so far for the pre-season title favorites. 

After losing their first conference game to Penn State, the Terps will look to take advantage of a matchup with the last remaining unranked team on their schedule. 

The Wolverines have had recent success over the Terps, winning the last four meetings over a three-year span. Maryland has dominated the earlier meetings, winning 10 straight games from 2014 until 2022.

The matchup with the Wolverines gives the Terps a chance to break their losing streak and momentum to push their season in the right direction.

“You just have to bear down.” head coach John Tillman said. “You got to look yourself in a mirror and figure out, where are we falling short? What could we do better?”

Michigan

Michigan (3-6, 0-1 Big Ten) has struggled mightily, losing six straight games. The Wolverines haven’t kept games closer either. They lost 9-4 to No. 1 Notre Dame, the smallest deficit of their last four games. 

While five of the losses were to ranked teams, those have been the only ranked opponents Michigan has faced this year. Michigan’s wins are a combined 7-19 on the season, against 2-8 Mercyhurst and 1-7 Detroit Mercy.

The Wolverines’ offense has been the biggest weakness, especially against higher-level competition. It is heavily concentrated between two players, junior Nick Roode and freshman Luke Shannehan. Roode leads the team with 23 goals and 28 points.  Shannehan’s seven assists are tied for the team lead, while his 19 goals are 11 more than the third-highest goal scorer on the team.

While Roode has played well against even the tougher opponents Michigan has faced, Shanahan has been a different story. Against Army, Harvard, Notre Dame and Johns Hopkins, the attacker combined for just three points. 

The rest of the Wolverines’ attack has been a mix of players who have not been very productive so far this season. Alex Gatto and CJ Reilly have 12 points each, but nobody else on the team has over 10.

The defense for Michigan has not been much better, allowing 13.67 goals per game over the six-game losing streak, including 17 goals allowed against Harvard. The Wolverines have also struggled to force turnovers, averaging just over seven per game.

Goalkeeper Hunter Taylor has not helped the struggling backline. Taylor’s 11.13 goals allowed per game is the worst mark of the Big Ten’s starters. His 49.7% save percentage ranks second-worst in the conference. Taylor has been berated with shots all year and has struggled to withstand the pressure.

For the Wolverines to pull off the upset against Maryland, Taylor will need to step up in a big way and help the Michigan defense from subduing the Terps offense.

Can Maryland Save Its Season?

After losing last week to Penn State, the momentum of the triple overtime win against Virginia was erased. The offense scored just six goals and couldn’t find any rhythm, especially when forced to settle down.

The game against Michigan comes at a big point in Maryland’s season, with just four games left in the year, and the Terps find themselves with a losing record. 

With Michigan being the worst team Maryland will play for the rest of the year, being able to establish a solid foundation for a late-season push will be crucial.