Maryland men’s lacrosse failed its first big test of the 2026 season.
The top-ranked Terps (1-1) fell to No. 2 Syracuse (3-0), 11-9, on Friday night in New York, ending its eight-game winning streak in the series. It’s the first time since 2009 that the Orange have defeated the Terps.
Maryland fell behind early and nearly came back in the second half before Syracuse put the finishing touches on a nice win that should shake up the national polls early next week.
Syracuse led 4-2 after one quarter, controlling 6 of 7 faceoffs and putting nine shots on goal. The Terps were fortunate to stay within a pair of goals, as goalkeeper Brian Ruppel (Catonsville) recorded five saves in the opening 15 minutes to limit the Orange to just four goals.
The Orange extended their lead in the second quarter, pulling ahead 7-4 at halftime. Syracuse held a significant edge in most key stats at the break, including a 9-4 edge on faceoffs. Syracuse put 13 shots on goal in the first half, while Maryland had just 12 total shots (seven on goal) during the same period.
After a sluggish opening half, the Terps closed the game in the third period, scoring three of the first four goals out of halftime to trim the deficit to one. Maryland pulled within a goal again with 13:01 left in the fourth quarter, but the Terps failed to score in the final 13 minutes as Syracuse’s defense tightened.
Junior midfielder Elijah Stobaugh, who scored his first career goal against the Orange a year ago, led the Terps with three goals. He was one of four Terps to find the back of the net. Ruppel finished with 10 saves.
As for the Orange, senior attacker and 2025 All-American Joey Spallina led the way with four goals. Senior Jimmy McCool, the 2025 ACC Goalkeeper of the Year, made nine saves for the Orange.
The teams evenly split the game’s 24 faceoffs, although the Orange finished the matchup with a slight edge in shots on goal (21 to 18).
Maryland’s schedule doesn’t get any easier next week. The Terps face No. 3 Princeton on Feb. 21, which is expected to be the team’s first normal home game of the season. Maryland’s season opener, a 19-10 win over Loyola Maryland, was played inside because of winter weather. Next Saturday’s forecast calls for temperatures around 50 degrees and no precipitation, a far more comfortable environment than this past weekend.
Have a news tip? Contact Bennett Conlin at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin.