#1 Maryland (1-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Syracuse (2-0. 0-0 ACC)
February 13, 2026
JMA Wireless Dome
6 PM
ACCN
Watch
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — No. 1 Maryland (1–0) continues the 2026 season on the road against No. 2 Syracuse (2-0) in Syracuse, N.Y., at the JMA Wireless Dome. Faceoff is set for 6 p.m., with live coverage on ACC Network.
The 2026 campaign represents the 101st season of Maryland men's lacrosse. The program has produced 532 All-Americans, appeared in 30 Final Fours, and captured four NCAA national championships. The Terrapins have finished .500 or better in every season.
Where we've been ...
- The reigning national runner-up Terrapins are coming off an NCAA-best 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and their 30th Final Four overall, the most of any program. Maryland advanced to the NCAA Championship game for the ninth time in the last 14 tournaments and the 18th time in program history, beating Syracuse 14-8 in the NCAA Semifinal. The Terps finished 14–4 and recorded double-digit wins for the 22nd straight season, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse.
- Maryland opened the season with a 19–10 victory over Loyola, its highest single-game goal total since 2022, and extended its season-opening winning streak to 33 consecutive games. Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Leo Johnson scored five goals and dished an assisit on his Terp debut.
Maryland-Syracuse History:
Last season, Maryland faced Syracuse twice—once in the regular season, earning an 11–7 home victory, and again in the NCAA Tournament semifinals, where the Terps secured a 14–8 win.
Eric Spanos combined for six goals and three assists across the two matchups.
Series history
- The Terps and the Orange share a longstanding rivalry between two programs with rich histories, dating back to their first meeting in 1927. Maryland leads the all-time series, 16–6.
- This matchup marks the fifth-consecutive meeting between the two programs. The Terps have won eight straight contests in the series, outscoring Syracuse 102–69 during that stretch, dating to 2011.
- Last season, Maryland faced Syracuse twice—once in the regular season, earning an 11–7 home victory, and again in the NCAA Tournament semifinals, where the Terps secured a 14–8 win. Eric Spanos combined for six goals and three assists across the two matchups.
About the coaches
- John Tillman is in his 19th season as a head coach and his 16th with the Terps, owning a 216–75 career record for a .741 winning percentage—the highest among all active Division I coaches. Highlighted by an undefeated 2022 campaign, Tillman is 196–55 (.777) as Maryland's head coach.
- Gary Gait, currently in his fifth season at Syracuse, is the fifth head coach in program history. He owns a 39–29 career record and has led the program to two NCAA Tournament appearances as head coach, including one Final Four appearance last year and one ACC Championship—the program's first since 2016.
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John Tillman is in his 19th season as a head coach and his 16th with the Terps.
Terps' 101st Season Of Lacrosse
- The Terps boast an all-time record of 907-295-4 (.754), dating back to the first varsity team in 1924 (a team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II). Maryland has finished with a .500 or better record in all previous 99 seasons. The program reached the 800-win milestone with a 12-6 victory on April 12, 2017, at Albany and became just the third school with 900 wins on March 29, 2025, with a 13-8 win over Penn State.
- Maryland finished the decade of the 2010s 134-42 for a .761 winning percentage, making it the winningest decade in Terrapin lacrosse history. Nine of those seasons came under the direction of head coach John Tillman, who has posted a 122-38 record and a .763 winning percentage at the helm for Maryland.
- During the decade of the 2000s, Maryland went 111-49 for a .694 win percentage. In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland posted a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland's win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage.
- Midway through the 2020s, the Terrapins are 73-18 (.802), which is on pace for the second-best winning percentage for a decade behind only the 1950s when the Terps were 84-15-1 (.845). The only other decade with a winning percentage of .800+ was the 1970s, with a mark of 85-21 (.802).
Midway through the 2020s, the Terrapins are 73-18 (.802), which is on pace for the second-best winning percentage for a decade behind only the 1950s when the Terps were 84-15-1 (.845).
Key Returners
- The Terps welcome back a trio of attackmen/midfielders who started the majority of games in 2025. Graduate student Eric Spanos has appeared in 51 career games, totaling 116 points (79 goals, 37 assists). Senior Braden Erksa has recorded 137 points in 51 games (83 goals, 54 assists), while graduate student Zach Whittier has added 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) over 48 games.
- Spanos was selected to wear the highly coveted No. 1 jersey this season, marking the first time since Jared Bernhardt (2019–21) that an offensive player has donned the jersey.
- Defensively, Maryland returns a trio of key contributors from its 2025 run: close defenseman Will Schaller, long-stick midfielder AJ Larkin, and short-stick defensive midfielder Eric Kolar. The group has combined for 128 games played.
- In goal, senior Brian Ruppel returns and is expected to anchor the Terps' defense after backing up 2022 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and career saves record holder Logan McNaney. Ruppel has appeared in 17 career games, starting 13 during the 2023 season following McNaney's season-ending injury. During that stretch, he recorded 138 saves while allowing 11.25 goals per game.
Big Crowds come out for the terps
- Maryland played in two of the three highest-attended regular-season games of the 2025 men's college lacrosse season, highlighted by a crowd of 10,137 fans when the Terps faced Notre Dame in Atlanta.
- The Terps ranked second nationally in home attendance despite playing the fewest home games among the top five programs, drawing a total of 28,079 fans.
- Maryland was also second nationally in average attendance in 2025 (4,011).
- SECU Stadium also hosted the third-largest regular-season crowd of 2025 when Maryland welcomed Johns Hopkins, attracting 10,123 fans.
Holding opponents to single-digits
- Maryland is 139-13 since Tillman took over the program in 2011 when it allows nine goals or less for a .914 winning percentage, including a 51-game winning streak when holding foes to less than 10 goals from 2017 to April 20, 2024.
- The Terps were 13-1 last season when holding opponents to single digits, doing so in 14 of 17 games.
Overtime is terp time
- The Terps are 17-9 (.654) in overtime games under John Tillman and have won eight of their last 10 dating back to 2020.
- The Terrapins are 39-30-4 all-time in overtime games dating back to the second season in 1925. Maryland played to a 5-5 tie at Stevens in 3OTs.
