Understanding Each Other

Maryland men’s lacrosse consistently produces high-caliber defensemen, causing many to crown it as “Defense U.” 

Defenders such as Brian Jackson, Bill Ralph, Brian “Bubba” Burlace, Dan Radebaugh, Michael Howley, Chris Passavia, Lee Zink, Joe Cinosky, and many others helped form iconic Maryland defensive units of the 1990s and 2000s under head coaches Dick Edell and Dave Cottle. However, the Terps’ 2025 defense stacks up strong against even those all-time units. 

Through 11 games this season, Maryland’s defense boasts its lowest goals allowed per game (7.6) in the shot clock era (2019-present). The mark is its lowest since 2015, when it posted 7.05 goals against per game. Its scoring defense also ranks second in Division I to Army West Point. Furthermore, the Terps have limited nine of 11 opponents to single-digit goals this season.

The man engineering the defense is none other than Jesse Bernhardt. The former long-stick midfielder for the Terps from 2010-13 has been the team’s defensive coordinator since 2017. The former two-time All-American is arguably the greatest defender to ever play for the Terps. He’s one of seven players in program history to win a Conference Defensive Player of the Year honor and ranks second and 13th all-time in caused turnovers (89) and ground balls (197), respectively. 

Bernhardt says this 2025 team possesses one of the strongest collections of talent he’s ever coached. But what makes them special is their experience and willingness to learn from those who came before them.  

“We have a lot of guys that have played a little bit more,” Bernhardt said. “They've also done a good job of carrying over the culture of what others before them have established on the defensive end of the field in terms of their preparation and approach every week. It's not always just what they're doing on the field. It's the time they put into film, and just taking care of themselves.” 

This year’s Maryland defense consists of a strong close defense of Colin Burlace, Jackson Canfield, and Will Schaller, and reserve Peter Laake; two stud long-stick midfielders in AJ Larkin and Jack McDonald; and one of the deepest short-stick defensive midfielder groups in recent memory, including Zack Goorno, Thomas Gravino, Geordy Holmes, Eric Kolar, and George Stamos.

The collective unit sits before Maryland’s all-time saves leader, All-American goalie Logan McNaney. The 2022 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player broke Kevin O'Leary's program record, which had stood for over 40 years, at Ohio State on April 12. 

McNaney, a sixth-year graduate student, is featured on the 2025 Tewaaraton Watch List and has a strong case to be the first-ever goalie on the men's side to win the prestigious award. He’s in the midst of a career year, boasting a career-high .610 save percentage and 7.52 goals against average. With 130 saves on the season, McNaney has made double-digit stops in all but one game.

But the goalie hasn’t just grown as a player. He’s also grown tremendously as a leader, which was the primary catalyst in his being chosen as the next great Terp to wear the program’s coveted No. 1 jersey this season.  

Despite being one of the major contributors to Maryland’s success on the defensive end this season, McNaney credited the defense in front of him and his defensive coordinator.  

“I've had a pretty good year so far, and I'm going to try to keep doing that,” he said. “But the defense has been really, really good this year. It's not one specific person. It's a group. We're a system defense, and our coach, Jesse Bernhardt, is amazing. His scouting of every team is pretty good. The defense also knows where I want to see shots. It's nice when the other team doesn't get a shot on the board with our on-ball and off-ball play.”

Debatably, the most well-rounded unit of Maryland’s defense is its defensive midfield. The defensive midfielder is often regarded as the least appealing position on the lacrosse field. However, Bernhardt expressed its importance and said it's one of the toughest positions to play on the lacrosse field.

The Terps have taken a unique approach to addressing the position, prioritizing versatility. As Bernhardt mentioned, a few of their players made transitions to the position, including Gravino and Stamos.  

“When you have good short sticks, it's like having good cover corners in football,” Bernhardt explained. “They just make a difference. … Those guys are the ones who are going to get dodged and attacked most frequently. If you don't have good ones, it makes life not impossible, but it makes it harder to have success.”

Another factor that has played a role in Maryland’s strong defensive year is the play of Will Schaller. The junior defenseman has taken on the role that Ajax Zappitello possessed last season: guarding the best attackman on the opposing team. 

Zappitello was the nation’s top defenseman a season ago. He was the first defenseman since 1993 to win the prestigious Enners Outstanding Player of the Year Award. He was also named a First Team All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine. He was USILA and Inside Lacrosse’s lone unanimous selection.    

With big shoes to fill, Schaller hasn’t disappointed. He has won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week three times this season. The first came due to limiting 2024 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Chris Kavanagh to one goal through three quarters in an 11-10 win over then-No. 1 Notre Dame on March 1. The second was after holding Virginia's McCabe Millon, a preseason All-American, to no goals and just one point in a 12-6 win over then-No. 18 Virginia on March 15.

Like McNaney, Schaller highlighted the team’s cohesiveness as its major recipe for success. He also says that being a group of predominantly upperclassmen allows the defense to bounce ideas off each other and be open to how each game plan is approached. This enables them to play with a level of autonomy.  

“It's not about one guy, it's about the six guys we're playing against,” Schaller said. “I give a lot of credit to all the guys around me, because I think what makes this group really good this year is how cohesive our unit is and how much we can play off each other. … [Jesse] has his things that he wants us to execute, and we do our best to do that. But at the same time, there's a lot of back and forth and feedback, like reflection on how we can improve each week.”

On March 8, Maryland gave up a season-low three goals to Delaware. It was its fewest allowed in a game in a decade, as the Terps last held an opponent to three or fewer goals on March 14, 2015, when they held Villanova to two scores. The performance was just one of its many impressive outings this season. 

Despite replacing several starters from a season ago, including one of the best defenders in program history, Maryland's defense hasn’t faltered. Instead, its abundant talent has made it one of the best units in the nation. 

“I've been fortunate enough to play alongside some of the best defensive groups,” McNaney said. “This group understands each other, and we understand how we play on the field. We understand each other's tendencies, when we have to slide, how we have to recover and how to communicate. We're on the same page when we're out there. It's been pretty special with this group so far.”