By Max Schaeffer
When Maryland men’s lacrosse traveled to Syracuse for a top-five matchup, it should’ve expected a battle. That’s exactly what the Terps were met with.
With just over a minute to play, Syracuse’s Christian Mule scored his first goal of the season to tie the game at 12, sending Maryland to its second overtime game of the season. Once again, the Terps answered the bell, as short-stick defensive midfielder George Stamos scored the game-winner in transition to secure a 13-12 victory.
“I did not anticipate taking the shot,” Stamos said with a laugh. “It was not drawn up for that. I just kind of caught it, and I didn’t think he was going to pass it. I just held my stick up as an outlet.”
The Terps and Orange wasted no time getting their offenses. Syracuse scored first in the form of a Luke Rhoa stepdown after an awkward bounce pass from Joey Spallina, but Maryland had plenty of answers of its own.
Five different Terps scored in the first quarter, including Braden Erksa and Daniel Maltz, who both netted their fifth goal of the season.
A physical tone was also set early, with five first-quarter penalties: four on Syracuse and one on Maryland’s Will Schaller. The Terps hadn’t committed a penalty before Saturday.
“For a lot of the guys that have never played in this game before, it took them a little while to get their feet set,” Ajax Zappittello said. “Once they did, it was kind of like ‘Ok, we’re playing big boy lacrosse now’”.
The second quarter was a quiet, defensive battle until a crucial mistake from Maryland short-stick defensive midfielder Josh Coffman. Coffman hit Syracuse attackman Michael Leo high, cross-checking him in the helmet. Leo absorbed the hit and ran past Coffman before finishing into the top corner. Coffman was given a two minute non-releasable penalty, and Leo struck again on the man-up to c give Syracuse momentum heading into the halftime break.
Goalie Logan McNaney is consistently a stone wall for Maryland, but he wasn’t the only netminder making highlight plays. Syracuse’s Will Mark was a major reason the Terps managed only one goal in the span of a quarter and a half. Mark reeled off multiple wild saves, including one where he dove across the face of the cage to deny Maltz.
With the Terps’ offense failing to generate anything, Syracuse was able to regain the lead. Spallina finally got free off a pick to tie the game up, then Sam English followed him up to give the Orange a one-goal advantage halfway through the third quarter.
The Terps needed a spark and got one from Erksa. He scored once in the third quarter, twice and the fourth quarter and also generated a chance with an assist. He tied the game with a goal early in the fourth quarter.
Then, the teams erupted with three goals in less than a minute. Two quick Syracuse tallies were answered by Luke Wierman, who cleanly won the faceoff for the Terps and foiund Jack Koras for a goal.
The Terps and Orange traded goals with regulation ending before Stamos scored his second goal of the season to polish off the victory for Maryland.
Already battle-tested with two one-goal victories under their belt, the Terps will be back home next week for a matchup with Princeton.
Three things to know
1. Erksa dominated. As Maryland continues to look for a true top option on offense, Erksa has started to separate himself from the group. His five-point performance solidified him as the team leader in goals and points on the young season.
2. Wierman met his match. For the first time all season, Wierman was challenged at the faceoff “X.” He won 55% of the game’s draws, but there were crucial stretches of play where Tufts transfer Mason Kohn was able to get the better of him and give Syracuse momentum.
“Kohn is awesome at the faceoff X,” Maryland head coach John Tillman said. “That guy just is really good, not only is he good at faceoffs, he’s good with the ball.”
3. Defense led the way again. The Terps once again called on their defense to step up. The unit and McNaney once again answered, keeping the game within reach until the goals started coming again.
