No. 5 Maryland men’s lacrosse can’t keep up with No. 3 Virginia in 14-10 loss

For the second time this year, No. 5 Maryland men’s lacrosse had an opportunity for a signature nonconference win. Once again, the Terps came up short.

Third-ranked Virginia took advantage of Maryland’s 16 turnovers and inconsistent offense to win, 14-10, Saturday in front of a crowd of nearly 8,000 at SECU Stadium in College Park. The result ended the Cavaliers’ three-game losing streak to the Terps (5-2), which dated back to 2022.

Maryland received good news when all-time program faceoff win leader Luke Wierman opened the game at the faceoff “X,” and it didn’t take long for Eric Spanos to compound that joy with two early goals, both times finding a matchup with a short-stick midfielder and making the Cavaliers (6-1) pay.

Those were Maryland’s last positive moments for a while, though, as Virginia proceeded to unleash five unanswered goals, three coming from midfielder Griffin Schutz. Schutz’s third goal was the game’s most impressive, as he scored on a backhanded shot to bring Virginia’s lead to 6-2.

“He did what we have been encouraging him and just pleading with him to do,” Virginia head coach Lars Tiffany said of Schutz. “... Essentially telling Schutz, ‘I know you got a long pole, but someone’s gotta win a matchup here.’”

But lacrosse is a sport prone to momentum swings, and Maryland was able to answer Virginia’s run with three straight goals. The Terps’ midfielders continued to hunt short sticks, with Daniel Kelly and Ryan Siracusa both rolling off their defenders and finishing.

Maryland brought itself within one and looked like it could tie the score before the half, but a crucial clearance mistake from goalie Logan McNaney offered Virginia freshman McCabe Millon an easy score. The blunder sent Virginia into the break with a two-goal advantage, 7-5.

Schutz wasn’t done after his first-half hat trick, striking to open the third quarter. Maryland’s Braden Erksa scored his first goal of the game shortly after on an extra-man opportunity, but Virginia had a swift answer following a Maryland penalty.

With Maryland committing too many unforced errors, Virginia star Connor Shellenberger got free for his second goal of the game to bring his team’s lead to four. Unfortunately for Maryland, the nadir of its struggles didn’t come until early in the fourth quarter, when the Cavaliers went up five after a rebound goal.

“I think one of their game plans was to make us uncomfortable,” Spanos said, “and at times we needed to settle in and not let them force us out of our game plan. Those turnovers could be a product of that.”

The Terps briefly fought back, with Wierman stringing together faceoff wins and his teammates cutting their deficit to two. But that was as close as Maryland would get, as Spanos committed a costly turnover — his fourth of the game — and Millon ended the run with a goal going down the alley.

Three things to know

1. Turnovers plagued the Terps. In a game where making use of every offensive possession was crucial, Maryland threw too many away. It had 16 giveaways to Virginia’s 10.

2. Virginia was more physical. Saturday’s game felt like a rivalry matchup between two of the best teams in college lacrosse. It got chippy early, and every ground ball was a fight. Virginia got the better of Maryland on ground balls, scooping 29 — six more than the Terps.

3. Maryland’s offense couldn’t keep up. In Maryland’s two losses this year, its offense has scored nine and 10 goals. Maryland limited Virginia to 14 scores — matching the Cavaliers’ lowest output of the year — but it wasn’t enough. The Terps’ season-long trend of lengthy scoring droughts allowed Virginia to generate separation.