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No. 5 Syracuse passed its opening three tests with flying colors, earning its highest ranking under head coach Gary Gait following blowout wins over Vermont, Colgate and Manhattan. But now the real schedule — which is the second-strongest nationally, according to Lacrosse Reference — begins.

While SU galloped by its easy nonconference opponents, No. 4 Maryland had its work cut out for it. The Terrapins opened their season against two formidable opponents, scraping by then-No. 20 Richmond 12-11 in double overtime before cruising to a 12-4 win over Loyola. Now, they look to defeat SU for the sixth straight time.

Here’s everything you need to know before Syracuse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) faces Maryland (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten):

All-time series

Maryland leads, 13-6.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Editor

Last time they played

Just like this year, Syracuse headed into its 2023 matchup with then-No. 9 Maryland undefeated after three nonconference contests. But the Terrapins quickly showed the Orange that they weren’t like any of their previous opponents, scoring 39 seconds in.

Maryland ripped off 17 attempts by the end of the first quarter, signaling a long afternoon for Will Mark where he faced 33 shots on goal. The main reason for the barrage of shots was Johnny Richiusa’s inability at the faceoff X. He won 7-of-30 faceoffs, hurting SU down the stretch.

Still, the Orange stayed close enough to make it a game, coming within two with 10 minutes left. But a 3-0 run put away the game for good, kickstarting a four-game losing streak for Syracuse.

The Terrapins report

Maryland has been parked in the upper echelon of men’s lacrosse ever since John Tillman took over in 2011. But out of all the success in the Tillman era, which includes nine Final Four appearances and two NCAA Title wins, last year was a record low. The Terrapins followed up their undefeated 2022 campaign with a 10–6 record and a loss to Army in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Last year’s struggles were mostly due to the loss of Logan McNaney in the cage and growing pains to the attack after the departure of Logan Wisnauskas.

But this season, Maryland is back on track with McNaney back in goal. So far, they’ve also spread out their offensive production — Eric Malever leads the attack with six points.

This early into the season, there aren’t any statistics that jump off the page for Maryland’s squad. But one that could cause issues for SU this weekend is its faceoff win percentage, which ranks eighth nationally at 66.0%. Luke Wierman is the Terrapins go-to faceoff specialist, tied for 14th in the nation with a 65.2% win percentage.

How Syracuse beats Maryland

The Orange are firing on all cylinders right now with every unit playing their best lacrosse since Gait took over the program. They have the nation’s third-best faceoff winning percentage, third-best scoring offense and fourth-best scoring defense. So the answer for this success to continue is simple — follow the words of Curtis Mayfield and “Keep on Keeping On.”

But this is easier said than done since Maryland is nothing like Vermont, Colgate or Manhattan. If Syracuse wants any shot at winning, it’s going to have to do the exact opposite of last year’s matchup and win at the faceoff X when it matters the most. Mason Kohn has the fourth-best faceoff win percentage nationally, but each of the opponent’s he faced thus far don’t even crack the top 40. Wierman will be his first real test.

Mark will undoubtedly be consistent in goal and, on the attack, Syracuse has enough options to give McNaney a tough night. But it’s going to need everyone to contribute. Against Manhattan, Christian Mulé was virtually nonexistent, only scoring once after a combined eight points in the opening two games. This can’t happen Saturday.

Stat to know: 13.67

Syracuse is averaging a nation-best 13.67 assists per game this year. The reason behind this statistic is simple: Spallina played a lot of box lacrosse this summer. Spallina leads SU with 16 assists in 2024, which is already half of his total from last season. Playing for the Orangeville Northmen Jr. A made him better at threading passes near the crease while maintaining his ability to distribute from X.

Stat to know: 13.67

Syracuse is averaging a nation-best 13.67 assists per game this year. The reason behind this statistic is simple: Spallina played a lot of box lacrosse this summer. Spallina leads SU with 16 assists in 2024, which is already half of his total from last season. Playing for the Orangeville Northmen Jr. A made him better at threading passes near the crease while maintaining his ability to distribute from X.

Player to watch: Logan McNaney, goalie, No. 23

McNaney is back in goal for Maryland this season after tearing his ACL last February. Before his injury, McNaney was instrumental in the Terrapins undefeated 2022 season, finishing with 200 saves and a 59.7 percent save percentage.

This year, he seems to be getting back to his old self. He made 12 saves against Loyola and has the ninth-best save percentage nationally. McNaney’s going to set the tone Saturday, providing Syracuse’s attack with its toughest opponent yet.

Published on February 15, 2024 at 1:06 am

Contact Anish: [email protected] | @anish_vasu