No.1 Maryland men’s lacrosse is back on its SECU Stadium home turf to face Delaware at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The Terps return home after a largely successful trip to Atlanta, Georgia, on March 1 — where they took down the reigning national champions and then-No. 1 ranked Notre Dame, 11-10. The victory extended Maryland’s record to 5-0 record while leapfrogging spots with the Fighting Irish in the national rankings.
Notre Dame dominated the Terps in the first half, but the win came on the backs of an exceptional second-half effort anchored by goalie Logan McNaney.
USA Lacrosse’s Men’s Player of the Week hauled in 16 saves, 11 of which came in the second half to effectively put the game away — one coming a crucial last-minute save to prevent a tie.
The Terps were led by Eric Spanos and Daniel Kelly offensively. Both scored three goals apiece.
Despite the victory, the Terps initial struggles came from their inability to win the faceoff. They were dominated by the Irish in draws, winning just six to Notre Dame’s 18.
Maryland’s faceoff issue could prove troublesome against Delaware. The Blue Hens lead the NCAA with a .670 faceoff win rate. Furthermore, Delaware’s faceoff specialist OJ Morris sits atop the nation’s leaderboard in faceoff win percentage this season, touting an impressive .077.
The Terps’ win over Notre Dame served as the third victory in a row against a top-five team — with previous matches against then-No. 2 Syracuse on Feb. 15 and then-No. 5 Princeton on Feb. 22, respectively. Delaware presents the Terps’ first non-ranked game since Feb. 8, when they played Loyola — narrowly surviving in an 8-7 overtime win.
The Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (3-1) were slotted at No. 18 in each of the season’s first two week’s rankings, but fell out of the top-20 after a 10-2 loss to Penn.
Nonetheless, they still enter College Park red-hot, fresh off an 11-6 win over High Point. It looks to re-enter the rankings with an upset win over the Terps.
The Blue Hens are led by midfielder John McCurry and attackmen Brendan Powers, who have scored 10 and eight goals respectively this season.
The first meeting between both teams was in 1978. Saturday marks the first time the two programs have met since 2002 — which saw a 16-5 Maryland win.
Maryland holds the series lead at 8-1. Coach John Tillman looks to help the Terps extend the all-time advantage on Saturday in his first-ever match against the Blue Hens.
