No. 12 Maryland men’s lacrosse came into its matchup with Michigan needing a win to keep its season afloat. To do so, Maryland would have to beat the Wolverines for the first time since 2022.

When Maryland needed it the most, Eric Spanos carried the team. The graduate student scored a career-high eight goals for the Terps. 

For an offense that has struggled all year, a career day from Spanos and a dominant fourth quarter powered Maryland to a 14-8 win over Michigan, giving the Terps their first Big Ten win of the season.

Spanos was dominant from start to finish against the Wolverines. Despite getting all kinds of looks on defense, including man-to-man and zone, nothing Michigan did could stop the Terps’ captain from imposing his will on this game.

After just one first-quarter goal, Spanos completely took over the game. He scored four goals in the second quarter and added three more in the second half.

The outburst came a week after being held scoreless in the loss to Penn State. Spanos’s ability to produce at the level he did fully opened up Maryland’s offense.

“It was great to have him back, and sometimes it takes a little time to get the rust off,” head coach John Tillman said. “[Spanos] definitely was huge for us today.”

Led by Spanos, Maryland’s offense came out of the gate strong, with its offense scoring six times in the first 18 minutes of play. After scoring just six goals in total against Penn State, the Terps came out and found a strong rhythm to open up the game. 

After struggling to produce offense all season, Maryland turned to its stars to power the attack, as the Terps’ offense got off to a blazing start.

Leo Johnson was facilitating the offense alongside Spanos, taking on a playmaker role alongside Spanos’s scoring prowess. Johnson assisted three times and scored once in the Terps’ dominant offensive first half. 

Johnson and Spanos came through for the Terps all game, especially when Maryland needed it the most.

It was Johnson and Spanos who relieved the pressure after Michigan scored three straight goals late in the third quarter, snapping the Wolverines’ scoring run. The duo each scored with under a minute left in the quarter and brought the momentum into the fourth, outscoring the Wolverines 3-0 to clinch the win.

“Those two quick ones were huge for momentum…” Tillman said. “It’s under two, and it’s a one goal game, and now we’re up three going into the fourth, big difference there.”

Maryland’s offense has looked stagnant and out of rhythm often throughout the season, but with Spanos and Johnson in full control of the game, the Terps’ attack looked like the potent offense that was expected all year. 

With Maryland’s star duo performing at the highest level they have all year, the rest of the offense fell right into place. Jack Schultz scored his first goal of the season, and Chris Lyons had one of his best games of the season, scoring twice and assisting once.

“Not only are [Spanos and Johnson] executing and doing a good job with and without the ball, but they are getting us organized.” Tillman said. “They’re doing a great job of making sure everybody else is in the right spot.”

Despite the offense carrying the load for Maryland, the defense still held Michigan to just 13 shots on goal. The Terps’ defense completely clamped down on the Wolverines late in the game.

The defensive performance helped mask a rough game for goalkeeper Brian Ruppel, who made just six saves and a .429 save percentage. Ruppel saved under 50% of the shots he faced for the first time since the Terps’ loss to Princeton five weeks ago.

Even with Ruppel’s struggles, Maryland held its opponent to under 10 goals for just the second time this season. Carrying the momentum from a good second half against Penn State, the Terps’ backline has been able to hold strong even without Will Schaller.

For Maryland, the win against Michigan comes at a crucial point in the season, as the Terps look to stay in contention for the NCAA tournament and near the top of the Big Ten standings. 

With multiple ranked opponents remaining in the regular season slate, being able to dominate a Big Ten team that Maryland has struggled with in recent seasons could be what finally gives the Terps the momentum they need to close out the season strong.