Five-Goal First Quarter Lifts No. 14 Maryland Past Delaware, 13-8

Friday, March 6

Newark, DE

7 PM

Maryland

2-3

Delaware

1-5

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Maryland	5	4	3	1	13
Delaware	2	2	2	2	8

Maryland Celebrates a Goal Against Delaware

Five-Goal First Quarter Lifts No. 14 Maryland Past Delaware, 13-8

3/6/2026 7:00:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Photo Gallery

A trio of Terps recorded three or more goals in their second win of the season.

NEWARK, DE — No. 14 Maryland scored the first five goals in its game against Delaware and coasted to a 13-8 win over the Blue Hens to improve to 2-3 on the season. Chris Lyons tallied four goals while Leo Johnson and Braden Erksa each recorded hat tricks as the Terps extended their winning streak over Delaware to eight games.

Maryland scored its most first-quarter goals of the season with a five-goal opening frame that featured a pair of goals from Erksa. Lyons and Elijah Stobaugh helped the Terps claim a 4-0 lead in the first four minutes before Johnson found the back of the net to put Maryland ahead 5-0. Brian Ruppel and the Terps held Delaware scoreless for 9:45 to start the game.

The Terps added four more goals in the second as Zach Whittier netted a pair and Erksa secured his hat trick. Maryland took a 9-4 lead into the halftime break after the Terps scored their most first-half goals of the 2026 season. Johnson and Erksa both tallied team-high three assists in the win.

Lyons opened the third-quarter scoring by securing his 27th-career hat trick, sparking a three-goal frame that put the game out of reach. Johnson scored a pair of goals in the frame to clinch his hat trick. Maryland never trailed Delaware in its second win of the season.

Henry Dodge dominated the Blue Hens in the X, winning 9 of 12 draw controls. Ruppel made 11 saves and AJ Larkin grabbed eight ground balls in the win. Maryland is back in action against No. 17 Virginia on Mar. 14.

How it Happened:
1st Quarter:

Erksa's fifth goal of the season opened a 1-0 lead in the first two minutes.
Lyons made it 2-0 at the 12:13 mark with his 135th-career goal.
Stobaugh extended the lead with his ninth of the season.
Erksa's second of the game forced a Delaware timeout with 11:06 to go.
Ruppel made his first save six minutes in.
Johnson's first of the night extended the lead to 5-0.
Delaware got on the board with 5:15 left in the quarter.
Maryland led 5-2 after the first quarter.

2nd Quarter:

Delaware opened the second-quarter scoring with a goal 4:19 into the frame.
Whittier's second goal of the season put Maryland up 6-3 and snapped Delaware's 3-0 run.
Erksa secured his hat trick with a goal with 4:22 to play.
Lyons and Whittier both scored their second goals of the night to give Maryland a 9-4 lead to take into the half.

3rd Quarter:

Ruppel made a point-blank save early in the quarter.
Lyons secured his hat trick with the first goal of the second half.
Johnson's second of the night put Maryland up 11-4 with 8:59 to play.
Johnson sealed his hat trick as he extended the lead to 12-5 in the final minutes.
Maryland took a 12-6 lead into the final 15 minutes of play.

4th Quarter:

Back-to-back Delaware goals cut the Terps' lead to 12-8 early.
Lyons scored his fourth with 5:38 to play.
Maryland held on to seal its 13-8 win.

Multi-Point Terps:

Lyons (four goals) recorded his 27th-career hat trick and his 33rd-career game with multiple goals.
Johnson (three goals, three assists) earned his 33rd-career game with multiple goals and his 46th-career game with multiple points.
Erksa (three goals, three assists) recorded his 12th-career hat trick, his 28th-career multi-goal game, his 11th-career mutli-assist game and his 44th-career game with multiple points.
Whittier (two goals, assist) netted multiple goals for the eighth time in his career.
Matt Higgins (two assists) recorded his second mulit-assist game of his career.

Downing Delaware:

Friday marked the 11th all-time meeting between Maryland and Delaware, with the Terps winning nine of the previous games.
The Terps moved to 4-1 all-time on the road against the Blue Hens and 2-0 under head coach John Tillman.
Maryland is on an eight-game winning streak against Delaware that dates back to 1986 and includes the Terps' largest win (20-3) in series history in 1987.

Magic Number 10:

Since Tillman took over the program in 2011, Maryland has won 175 of the 200 games when scoring 10 or more goals for an .875 winning percentage.
Maryland is also 137-23 (.856) since 2015 when scoring at least 10 goals.

Dominant Defense:

Maryland is 140-13 since Tillman took over the program in 2011 when it allows nine goals or less for a .915 winning percentage.
The Terps were 13-1 last season when holding opponents to single digits, doing so in 14 of 17 games.

Numbers to Know:

3: Three Terps scored three or more goals.
8: Maryland has won eight straight over Delaware.
11: Ruppel made 11 saves on Friday night.
35: Maryland grabbed 35 ground balls in the win.
115: Johnson's 115 career goals rank eighth in the nation among active players.
137: Lyons' 137 career goals are the most in the nation by an active player.