EAST HARTFORD, CT -- No. 1 Maryland is returning to the NCAA Championship game for the seventh time in 11 tournaments and 16th time in program history as the Terps beat fifth-seeded Princeton, 13-8, on Saturday at Rentschler Field in the NCAA Semifinals. Maryland is just the second team in NCAA history to be 17-0, joining 2006 Virginia, the last undefeated national champion team. The Terps will play seventh-seeded Cornell in the title game on Monday at 1 p.m., on ESPN. Maryland will be seeking its fourth-ever NCAA title and first since 2017.
Logan Wisnauskas tallied four goals, including the 200th of his career, coming in the second quarter. His fourth goal of the game gave him 203 in his career, surpassing
Jared Bernhardt for most goals in Maryland's illustrious lacrosse history.
Keegan Khan recorded three goals, scoring the first three goals for the Terps in the game and finished with five points, adding two assists.
Jonathan Donville, who will play his former school Cornell on Monday, had a goal and two assists for three points.
Owen Murphy scored a pair of goals, coming in a span of seven seconds in the third quarter.
Maryland's other goals came from
Kyle Long,
Bubba Fairman and
Jack Brennan as seven different Terps scored in the game.
In the goal,
Logan McNaney made a career-high 19 saves. Pole
Ajax Zappitello had four caused turnovers and two groundballs. Short-stick Fairman had career-highs with four caused turnovers, and four groundballs while scoring his fourth goal of the season from his defensive position.
Luke Wierman won 13-of-22 face-offs and had a game-best nine groundballs.
Princeton finished the season 11-5, seven different players scored for the Tigers as Alexander Vardaro had a pair.
Breaking Down Action
• Khan scored Maryland's first three goals as the Terps took a 3-1 lead with 5:38 left in the first quarter. The Terps led 5-1 after the first quarter as Kyle Long and Bubba Fairman added goals. Fairman's came on an impressive fullfield rush after causing a turnover. McNaney made six saves in the quarter.
• Princeton opened the scoring in the second quarter, but Wisnauskas answered to make it 6-2. The Tigers scored the final two goals of the second quarter to go into intermission down, 7-4.
• In the third quarter, Wisnauskas opened with the first goal of the quarter to make it 8-4. After a Brennan goal, Murphy scored two goals in a seven-second span to increase that lead to 11-4. The Tigers scored the final two goals of the quarter for an 11-6 score after the third. Maryland fended off Princeton on a three-minute penalty, allowing just one goal bridging the second and third quarters.
• Wisnauskas opened the scoring in the fourth with his third goal of the game with 8:57 left in the game, making it 12-6. He scored his fourth of the game and the record-breaker with 1:32 left in the game.
NCAA Numbers
- Maryland is playing in its 44th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and its NCAA-best 19th straight appearance.
- Maryland is now 69-40 all-time in NCAA Tournament games with three National Championships (1973, 1975, 2017). Only Johns Hopkins (71) has more wins.
- The Terps are now making their 16th trips to the NCAA Championship game. Maryland's NCAA Finals appearances: 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022.
- John Tillman is now 27-9 in NCAA Tournament games at Maryland with seven Finals appearances. The 27 wins are sixth all-time in NCAA men's lacrosse history.
- The Terps are 16-12 all-time in NCAA Tournament Semifinals games, winning five of its last six semifinals games.
- Maryland is now 21-6 all-time as the top seed, advancing to the NCAA Semifinals on all 20 occasions.
Wisnauskas Watch
- Wisnauskas (four goals) recorded his Maryland record 40th hat trick in 74 games in a Maryland uniform. It was his 14th hat trick of the season.
- He finished with four points and now has 336 in his career on 203 goals and 133 assists. He is Maryland's all-time leading point scorer and is now surpassed Jared Bernhardt for most goals in program history. He's third in assists behind Ray Altman (146) and Bob Boneillo (143).
- On the all-time NCAA men's lacrosse scoring list, Wisnauskas stands 11th in career points. Next on the list with 343 is Joe Vasta, who played at Air Force from 1983-86. Chris Gray, who finished his career at North Carolina this season, is the all-time leader with 401.
- Wisnauskas is now second for most goals in a single-season in Maryland history with his 57, behind Bernhardt's 71, set last season.
- He is also second in most single-season points with 98, second to Bernhardt's record of 99, set last year.
- The Sykesville native has recorded a point in 74 straight games, every one of his career.
- He has multiple points in his last 58 games.
Numbers To Know
• 1: The Terps are 17-0 for the first time in history.
• 3: The Terps scored three EMO goals in the game (Khan, Donville, Wisnauksas), equalling a season-best.
• 7: John Tillman will be coaching in the NCAA Championship game for the seventh time, all in the last 11 we tournaments, winning the title in 2017.
• 9: Khan had his ninth hat trick of the season, as he scored the first three goals of the game for the Terps.
• 11: Khan has scored in 11 games in a row, as he opened the scoring for the game.
• 12: The Terps scored multiple goals in a span of 10 seconds or less for the 12th time this season when Murphy scored two goals in seven seconds in the third quarter.
• 16: The Terps will play in their 16th NCAA Championship game.
• 19: McNaney made a season-high 19 saves and now has 44 saves in three NCAA Tournament games in 2022.
• 32: The Terps had their 32nd goal by a non-offensive player (close defensemen, defensive midfielders and face-off men) as Fairman scored in the first quarter.
• 40: Wisnauskas recorded his 40th career hat trick in the game.
• 41: Maryland has scored 10 or more goals in 41 games in a row.
• 42: Maryland has won 42 consecutive games when holding opponents to less than 10 goals.
• 56: Maryland added to its streak of 56 consecutive games with at least one player recording a hat trick in a game, dating to Feb. 2, 2019.
• 115: Maryland is 115-11 since Tillman took over the program in 2011 when it allows nine goals or less, for a .912 winning percentage.
• 138: Since Tillman took over the program in 2011, Maryland has won 138 of the 154 games in which it has scored 10 or more goals for a .896 winning percentage.
• 152: Wierman now has 152 groundballs to stand second in single-season groundballs, second only to Andy Claxton with 171 in 1991.
• 200: Wisnauskas scored his 200th career goal, becoming the sixth player in NCAA history to reach that plateau.
• 285: Wierman continues to add to his school record for face-off wins in a season, with 13 wins Saturday to give him 285.
• 431: Wierman also added to his school record for face-offs taken of 431 with 22 today.
Up Next
• The No. 1 Terps will play in the NCAA Championship Game on Monday, May 30 against No. 7-seed Cornell at 1 p.m., in a game that will air on ESPN and heard nationally on Westwood One Radio.
• The Terps are seeking their fourth NCAA men's lacrosse title with the previous ones coming in 1973, 1975 and 2017.
• Overall, Maryland has won 46 National Championships in eight different sports. The last came in 2019, when women's lacrosse won its sport-record 15th title.
• The Terps and Big Red have played six times in the NCAA Tournament with each team winning three. Maryland won the last meeting, 13-8, in the 2018 Quarterfinals.
• The Terps and Big Red played in the 1976 title game, the Big Red's last championship, as they beat the Terps, 16-13.
• Maryland head coach John Tillman played at Cornell under legendary coach Richie Moran.
• Maryland grad student Jonathan Donville graduated for Cornell and was an All-American for the Big Red prior to coming to Maryland.
