No. 4 Maryland men’s lacrosse remained in state Saturday afternoon, traveling to Baltimore to take on the Loyola (Md) Greyhounds. 

Coming off a dominant 12-7 win the week prior, Maryland looked to keep its momentum strong, while Loyola looked to bounce back after its disappointing first-week loss to Georgetown. 

After being down three goals entering the fourth quarter, the Terps completed a pressure-filled comeback. Late game heroics provided Maryland the win, 8-7, in overtime. 

The Greyhounds (0-2) made it difficult for the Maryland (2-0) offense throughout — led by goalie Max Watkinson having seven first quarter saves to open the game, five of which came in Maryland’s first four possessions of the game.

“We tried a lot of different things, … we just couldn’t get some continuity and flow,” coach John Tillman said. “And again, credit to Loyola.” 

Maryland had 18 total turnovers on the day, 11 of which were forced turnovers by the Loyola defense. After a defensive-minded first quarter, the score sat just 1-0 — Maryland with a narrow lead. 

“We kept saying just play simple. Don’t fall into their trap,” Maryland senior Eric Spanos said. “They’re trying to get everything super chaotic and we just have to play our brand.” 

But the Loyola offense erupted to begin the second quarter. 

Goals by Kenan Everhart, Matthew Minicus and Luke Murphy on three close possessions gave Loyola a quick 3-1 lead. Spanos would get his first of the day shortly after, but a late first half goal by Loyola’s Henry Haberman kept the Greyhounds up two scores entering the half.

Faceoffs were a concern entering the game for Loyola, who won only 5 of 21 face offs against Georgetown the week prior. Maryland was dominant on the dot in Week One, and it remained steady throughout the course of Saturday’s game — winning 12 of 18 face off attempts. 

Loyola looked to extend consistency within its second-half offense after being held scoreless in the fourth quarter against Georgetown. 

The scoring drought trend continued, this time accompanied by a blitz of Terp offense. In a blink of an eye, Loyola’s three-score lead evaporated, making way for a 6-5 Maryland lead. Eric Spanos had three explosive fourth-quarter goals, tallying a total of four on the day to lead the late Maryland comeback.

“The guys who were able to get me open that was the biggest thing,” Spanos said. “When we upped that tempo and our middies were just dodging super hard, guys like Bryce Ford and Zach Whittier … were dodging like crazy. They were able to get me to open off some looks and I was able to finish the shot.” 

Up 7-6 late in the fourth quarter, Loyola’s Kenan Everhart provided an electric, buzzer-beating goal — tying the game with two seconds remaining to force overtime.

Maryland coach John Tillman worked the transfer portal this offseason, adding a plethora of key additions — one of which was attackmen Matthew Keegan, who had three goals and two assists in last week’s season-opening game. After a quiet first four quarters, Keegan ended the game Saturday with a statement, providing a timely score that eventually sealed a Terp win.

“To go on the road and find a way to win definitely will help us — but a lot we can learn from,” Tillman said.

With two consecutive wins in its 2025 resume thus far, red-hot Maryland looks to keep the energy high next Saturday, when it hosts Syracuse at 2 p.m.