No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse vs. No. 12 Princeton preview
· Yahoo Sports
Even in one of its sloppiest performances in some time, No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse remained competitive against No. 1 Syracuse. The Terps hung around in the second half of a game that could have easily gotten out of hand.
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The Orange had a devastating run, scoring five unanswered goals across the first and second quarters. Maryland hadn’t had much possession to change things, having lost nine of the first 10 faceoffs. However, a pair of scores from Elijah Stobaugh gave the Terps some life heading into the break.
And Tillman made an adjustment that ultimately changed the tide of the game. With Henry Dodge exclusively taking the faceoffs, Maryland won 10 of the next 11 bouts at the X. Those extra possessions allowed the Terps to shrink their deficit to just one goal early in the fourth quarter.
But without dominant efforts from its attacking stars — Leo Johnson, Chris Lyons and Eric Spanos combined for only four goals — Maryland fell short, 11-9. The Terps failed to score over the final 13 minutes and finished with 15 turnovers, five of which came in the final period.
The road ahead doesn’t get much easier, with a pair of ranked opponents looming. That starts with No. 12 Princeton on Saturday. The top-15 clash starts at noon and will air on Big Ten Plus.
No. 12 Princeton Tigers (0-1, 0-0 Ivy League)
2025 record: 13-4, 5-1 Ivy League
With nearly a decade of experience under his belt, head coach Matt Madalon has transformed Princeton into a perennial powerhouse. The Tigers have four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four trip in 2022. He’s built a strong resume in one of the top conferences.
While Princeton fell short of a national championship last season, an eight-game winning streak culminated in the program’s highest win total since 2009. However, the Tigers crashed out in the quarterfinals after blowing a late lead against No. 6-seed Syracuse.
The departure of Princeton’s leading goalscorer last season, Coulter Mackesy, crippled it in its season opener. The Tigers produced its lowest goal output in three seasons and conceded seven first-quarter goals en route to a 13-7 home loss to No. 10 Penn State.
Players to know
Ryan Croddick, senior goalkeeper, No. 26 — In his first season as the starter, Croddick was exceptional between the pipes. The Ivy League Goalkeeper of the Year finished with the third-most saves (14.2) and the ninth-best save percentage (56.6%) in the nation. Despite facing 23 shots against Penn State on Saturday, Croddick totaled 10 stops.
Nate Kabiri, junior attacker, No. 2 — The Virginia native is Princeton’s do-it-all offensive weapon. Kabiri assumed the facilitator role last season, dishing out a team-high 29 assists. But the All-Ivy League second-teamer is ruthless with his own looks. Kabiri still finished with 32 goals and had a trio of four-goal performances.
Without Mackesy to shoulder some of the scoring load, the pressure will be on Kabiri to run the Tigers’ attack this season. While he scored twice and had an assist in the season opener, Princeton’s supporting cast failed to show up.
Colin Burns, junior attacker, No. 0 — From high school teammates to Princeton, Burns and Kabiri have formed a powerful one-two attacking punch. As part of the Tigers’ third-ranked 2023 recruiting class, Burns has exceeded expectations in his first two seasons. He has totaled 53 goals and 26 assists but is likely to take on an increased role this year.
Strength
Goalscorers. While Princeton doesn’t have many creators outside of Kabiri, it’s got no shortage of attacking options. The Tigers return four of their top five scorers from last season, and each eclipsed 20 goals. Midfielders Chad Palumbo and Tucker Wade had another layer to Princeton’s versatile offense. After a disappointing performance, the Tigers will be fired up on Saturday.
Weakness
Defensive pressure. Princeton found itself in loads of high-scoring games last season amid a strong year from Croddick. That was largely due to defensive lapses. The Tigers allowed 42.7 shots per game, putting Croddick under heavy fire. With so much opposing traffic, Croddick could only do so much.
Three things to watch
1. Faceoff battle. When Princeton’s offense gets in a rhythm, it’s because of Andrew McMeekin. The Tigers’ faceoff specialist has the potential to take over games and keep opponents pinned in their own half. Dodge will need to be sharp early to help Maryland avoid an insurmountable deficit.
2. Recent dominance. The Terps and Princeton have faced each other 50 times, but the all-time series is not close. Maryland has won the previous nine meetings, including a season sweep in 2022 and 2024. With Saturday being the Terps’ first outdoor game, a packed home crowd should give them a much-needed jolt.
3. Complete offensive performance. Even with a 19-goal output in its season opener, Maryland’s offense still hasn’t shown its full potential. The Terps have yet to get Johnson, Lyons, Spanos and Braden Erksa on the same page. If Maryland gets a strong outing from those four, the result should be one that puts it back in the win column.