No. 14 Maryland men’s lacrosse goes wire-to-wire in 13-8 win over Delaware
· Yahoo Sports
NEWARK, Del. — No. 14 Maryland men’s lacrosse’s faceoff unit was arguably its biggest weakness last season. The duo of Shea Keethler and Jonah Carrier only hauled in 51.2% of the bouts at the X combined, the 33rd-best mark nationally.
So when Henry Dodge — the country’s best faceoff specialist in 2025 — entered the transfer portal, pursuing him was a no-brainer. Dodge committed to the Terps just under two weeks after the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament.
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That offseason addition has quickly paid dividends. Dodge’s 70.5% faceoff win rate through four games has turned Maryland into a top-10 faceoff unit. While the Terps haven’t taken advantage of those extra possessions, Friday’s game against Delaware saw Maryland finally convert.
Dodge and Carrier brought in 16 of 24 faceoffs against a struggling unit. Even with a season-high 19 turnovers, the Terps snapped their three-game losing streak with a 13-8 win over Delaware.
The Blue Hens’ offense reached double-digit goals just once in its first five games, and that performance resulted in their lone win of the season. Outside of that victory, they’ve only scored 5.7 a game.
But with the Terps’ continued turnover bug, Delaware totaled four first-half goals. The Blue Hens’ leading scorers, John McCurry and Brendan Powers, only had one each. Instead, it was Drew Duncan that carried the offensive production early on.
The sophomore scored just two goals in his first 12 college appearances. Duncan matched that total in the first half of Friday’s game. He had two scores on just three shots, highlighting Maryland’s defensive woes.
While the Terps’ defense was leaky at times, their offense responded with their best outing since the season opener.
Maryland’s attacking unit was expected to be one of the nation’s best. But four games into the season, that’s been far from the case. The Terps netted just 29 goals during their three-game losing streak and have struggled to convert quality looks.
Friday’s matchup against a Delaware team conceding 12.8 goals per contest was a prime opportunity for the Terps to flip a switch. They did just that — despite a 16-minute scoring drought in the first half, four goals in the opening four minutes allowed for plenty of breathing room.
Even without Eric Spanos for the second consecutive game, Maryland’s other stars showed up. Leo Johnson, Chris Lyons and Braden Erksa each finished with at least a hat trick to fuel the Terps’ resurgent attack.
Erksa was Maryland’s third leading scorer last season. But through the first four games, the senior attacker hasn’t really carved out his role.
During Maryland’s five-goal first quarter, Erksa netted a brace. He only needed five shots to produce a season-high three goals.
Those five unanswered goals to start the game were ultimately the difference, as the Terps never relinquished their lead.
But Delaware’s closest loss of the season didn’t do much to relieve Maryland fans’ cause for concern. With five ranked teams still on the schedule — including next weekend against No. 17 Virginia — the Terps will need to prove their worth against a quality opponent.
Three things to know
1. Lyons breaks through. After netting four goals to start the season, the Yale transfer has struggled against some quality opponents — he only scored twice during the Terps’ three-game skid. Against Delaware, Lyons totaled four goals on six shots in arguably his best appearance in a Maryland uniform.
2. Efficient outing. The Terps’ blowout loss against No. 1 Notre Dame culminated in one of their worst performances of the season. But Maryland turned the tide on Friday. The Terps fired 31 shots, with 22 aimed on cage, causing havoc for Delaware goalie Colton Silverstein in his first career start. He finished with nine stops.
3. Lineup carousel continues. John Tillman has started four different lineups this season, looking to find a consistent scoring presence out of the midfield. Spencer Ford made his first career start on Friday, but didn’t do much to justify it. The redshirt freshman managed just two shots.