Coming off its first loss of the season against now top-ranked Syracuse, No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse will look to bounce back as it takes on another ranked opponent.

The Terps will face off against No. 12 Princeton as they look to get back in the win column. Maryland has dominated Princeton all-time with a 37-12-1 record. 

Head coach John Tillman has never lost to Princeton, boasting a perfect 8-0 record.

After playing their season opener in the Jones-Hill house and traveling to Syracuse last week, the Terps will finally play in SECU Stadium for the first time this season. For a team that Tillman has said has yet to fully gel together, the familiar environment could prove beneficial.

“We love playing in front of our home crowd and the comfort of playing in your own place,” Tillman said. “There’s nothing like running out of your own locker room.”

Princeton

Princeton (0-1) did not start the year on a strong note, falling at home to Penn St. 13-7 in its opener. The Tigers went down 7-1 after the first quarter and could not overcome the mountain of a deficit.

Princeton’s attack is led by junior Nate Kabiri, who follows up a season where he posted a career high of 61 points. Ranked the No. 12 player in the country coming into the year by Inside Lacrosse, Kabiri leads the team in points after scoring twice and assisting once against Penn St.

Along with Kabiri, the Tigers boast a midfield duo of Chad Palumbo and Tucker Wade that will look to help power the offense this year. Wade had two goals of his own in the season opener, and Palumbo is coming off a great 2025 campaign in which he tallied 47 points, including 28 goals.

The defense is anchored by goalkeeper Ryan Croddick, who struggled against the Nittany Lions despite having a great first season starting in 2025. He allowed 13 goals on 23 shots, equating to only a 43.5% save percentage. Against a Terps team that has scored 28 goals in its two games this season, Croddick will need to rebound if the Tigers want to get in the season win column on Saturday.

Maryland is No. 2 in the nation, but by how much?

After losing this past week against Syracuse, the Terps dropped to the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Maryland had a chance to stamp its previous No. 1 rank this last week, but after losing to the Orange, the Terps dropped down to the No. 2 spot. 

It will be an uphill battle to reclaim the No. 1 spot this year, but the Terps have a chance to show the level of separation between the top two and the field. 

Maryland will get another opportunity to claim its first ranked win, and will look to claim its first victory in SECU Stadium this season.