After raiding the transfer portal this past offseason, No. 1 Maryland men’s lacrosse head coach John Tillman brought in multiple huge pieces. Two of the most notable being Yale duo Chris Lyons and Leo Johnson.

Paired with Eric Spanos, the Terps offense looked to have a three-headed monster to propel their offense.

Tillman’s additions worked on Saturday as Johnson was dominant in his Terps debut, scoring five times. Lyons added four goals of his own in a picture-perfect debut from the transfer duo. Along with Spanos, the trio scored a combined 11 goals en route to a 19-10 win over Loyola (MD). 

Led by an attacking onslaught in the third quarter, Maryland’s offense displayed signs of what could potentially be one of the most dangerous units in the country. 

Johnson was the star of the show, scoring three of his five goals in the third quarter alone, with the Terps outscoring Loyola 8-1 in the period. Johnson also collected an assist, setting up Elijah Stobaugh for one of his two goals.

“Nice to have a guy who’s a great person as well as a great player,” head coach Tillman said of Johnson. “The other guys have done a great job helping him blend in.”

Spanos got the scoring started in the quarter and added a second midway through, proving early in the season why he was given the No.1 jersey.

In total, the Terps outshot 15-5 in the quarter, with an 11-2 advantage in shots on goal.

Despite the dominant offensive performance in the final three quarters, Maryland’s offense took some time getting going early.

Last season, Maryland struggled to produce consistent offense, which at times hindered its eventual national championship run.

It looked like Maryland might have similar problems early in Saturday’s game. 

The Terps offense struggled early despite some early pressure on the Greyhounds goal. Spanos had four of the Terps’ 11 first-quarter shots but was unable to get anything past Loyola goalkeeper Max Watkinson.

“I just thought we were sloppy,” Tillman said. “Silly turnovers, and probably some first game jitters.”

Despite the early struggles on offense, the Maryland defense was up to the task, led by new starting goalkeeper Brian Ruppel. Ruppel made multiple impressive saves early in the game to keep Loyola from stacking on its early lead.

However, the slow first quarter would be the only attack-related struggle the Terps faced all game. After Mason Cook scored for Loyola to even the game at four, the Terps took over in the second quarter.

The duo of Lyons and Johnson totaled two goals each, combining to score all four goals the Terps had in the second quarter of play.

Maryland also benefited from Vermont transfer Henry Dodge dominating the faceoffs. He won five of six, along with Jonah Carrier in the first half. 

The dominance continued for the rest of the game and it helped them sustain their offensive attack all game. With the help of Dodge and Carrier, the Terps won of their 62.5% faceoffs on Saturday. 

“We have tons of confidence in them,” said Leo Johnson on how the faceoff group helps the attack. “It allows us to play freely out there and make plays.”

Dodge took the majority of the work, but after Carrier’s breakout season last year started his sophomore campaign, winning eight of 11 faceoffs. After a mediocre performance on faceoffs last season, Maryland has gotten off to a great start in that area this season.

Loyola showed some late fight with a short three-goal burst from Loyola in the fourth quarter, but the game was never in doubt for the final fifteen minutes.

The Terps kept Loyola out of reach for the remainder of the game as it cruised to a season-opening victory.