In its first road game of the year against another top 10 team, No. 1 Maryland men’s lacrosse proved why it is the top-ranked team in the country, defeating No. 9 Syracuse, 14-10.

After a, 20-8, dismantling of No. 8 Loyola, the Terps had a similarly difficult opponent against Syracuse. But, for the first time all season, the Orange made sure to keep the Terps under 20 points for the afternoon and well below double-digits before halftime.  

Syracuse pulled out a few stops for this marquee matchup — on both sides of the field — and gave Maryland its tightest match of the year. 

Orange fans came in droves for the momentous game, but it was the visitors who had complete control during the first quarter. Syracuse could only get four shots on goal for the first 15 minutes – all were saved. Maryland dominated the time of possession as the quarter concluded with a Terps 4-0 lead.

Maryland’s lead grew to 5-0 to start the second, but Syracuse soon caught fire. Both Tucker Dordevic and Lucas Quinn scored hat tricks within the quarter, as they found a sweet spot in the low corner of the net. The home team clawed back into the game. Maryland only had a one-point lead by halftime.

The defense looked tired as the game went on, and the Orange took advantage of it.

“These are things we need to work on this week going forward,” said head coach John Tillman. “Everybody’s going to watch the film and kind of figure out some areas where, you know, we can give Maryland problems.”

Dordevic ended the game with five goals, making it back-to-back games that he had done so.

The third quarter looked much more like the first as Maryland’s defense forced Syracuse to spend another 14 minutes goalless. However, two goals in the final minute left the quarter where it started. Maryland still had a, 9-8, lead heading into the fourth quarter.

However, five goals from Maryland in the fourth quarter, scored by four different players, put the game away. A close shot from Owen Murphy confirmed that the Terps would start off the season 3-0 for the sixth straight year.

“[I] just thought our guys battled when things weren’t pretty or they weren’t going well,” Tillman said. “But [I] just thought our guys showed a lot of grit and resilience and really stuck together.”

Maryland’s top scorer was unsurprisingly Logan Wisnauskas with four goals. Jonathan Donville also finished with a hat trick.

Defensively, the Terps held their own in spite of a few missteps, with the help of players like midfielder Roman Puglise, who has taken a long journey to grow into his role.

“I came to Maryland not playing defense, so it was something that I had to learn.” Puglise said. “There was great guys around me and other people that helped me get to a spot where I could be confident [and] feel comfortable in the position that I play.”