In what is probably the most anticipated game in regular season play for NCAA Men’s Lacrosse, last week we saw the Maryland Terrapins take on the back-to-back reigning champs, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a championship rematch game. The two teams have a long history of dominance in the sport, but being that the Irish defeated the Terps to take the cup last May, tension was at an all-time high, and I could even feel it though my TV screen.
During the pregame coverage, the announcers repeatedly pointed out how Notre Dame has 9 preseason All-Americans, and Maryland has just one. The one standing alone for the Maryland Terps is goalie: Logan McNaney. The Maryland defense played phenomenally thanks to coaching by their defensive coordinator, and long-time team USA defender Jesse Bernhardt. McNaney absolutely stood on his head for the entirety of this game, and Maryland proved that a solid defense and a remarkable goalie is the answer to Notre Dame’s offensive depth.
The Irish have 8 different midfielders that are in their rotation, all seeing playing time, six of which tallied a goal in the championship game in 2024. Being able to constantly have fresh legs on the field, returning this season after finding success at the end of last season, provides a huge advantage for Notre Dame.
The game started off hot with none other than Jake Taylor opening the scoring for Notre Dame, in usual, flashy, Jake Taylor fashion – a behind the back shot. The other attack powerhouse for the Irish, Chris Kavanaugh tallies his first of the day making it 2-0 not even a minute later. Soon after, Maryland found an answer back, but then things quieted down for the rest of the quarter as the fourth goal of the game was not scored until 1:44 left.
The game was constant back and forth with no greater goal differential of 3 and multiple lead changes. Notre Dame was able to stay in the game by dominating the face off and finding the ground balls, with 18 face off wins in comparison to Maryland’s pathetic 6, and 37 ground balls to Maryland’s 19. By winning, and maintaining possession, the Irish were able to set up their attack more often, and find shots, however they struggled to find the back of the net. Notre Dame outshot Maryland 43-29, but McNaney’s 16 saves and Notre Dame’s 17 turnovers and 23% shooting percentage cost the Irish the game.
Early this week, NCAA released this week’s D1 men’s lacrosse ranking, with previously No. 1 Notre Dame now sitting at the 2 spot, taken over by previously No. 2, and now ranked No. 1, Maryland. I am excited to see more big-time matchups as the teams wrap up their non-conference play.
