Lacrosse Preview and Prediction for #5 Maryland...

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Preview and prediction for No. 5 Maryland men's lacrosse's opener at No. 20 Richmond​ It's déjà vu all over again. The Terrapins again open their season – this time at home – against 20th-ranked Richmond. Through the previous four matchups against the Spiders, three of the games were one-goal Terps' wins. Only the Terps' 2023 15-4 win in College Park against the Spiders was decided by more than a goal.​ Men's Lacrosse – Game 1, No. 20 Richmond, SECU Stadium, Saturday at 12:00 PM Season Records: #5 Maryland (0-0), #20 Richmond (0-0) Series Record: Maryland, 4-0 Last Meeting: 2024, 12-11 (2OT) Maryland Media: BTN+ Live Stats: HERE Quick Preview It's déjà vu all over again. The Terrapins again open their season – this time at home – against 20th-ranked Richmond. Through the previous four matchups against the Spiders, three of the games were one-goal Terps' wins. Only the Terps' 2023 15-4 win in College Park against the Spiders was decided by more than a goal. With the Terps breaking in several new starters, including a host of transfers, expect another close game against the Spiders. Preview and prediction below: The Opponent​ Richmond coach Dan Chemotti continues to show year after year that the program belongs in the Top 20. The program enters its 12th season and continues to thrive. Last season, the Spiders lost in the Atlantic 10 championship to St. Joe's; otherwise, the Spiders would have again earned a NCAA Tournament bid. From a returning production standpoint, Lacrosse Reference calculates that the Spiders return 49 percent of their goal scoring from 2024, 39 percent of assists, 45 percent of total scoring, 97 percent of faceoff production, and 62 percent of defensive games played. Maryland Basketball Recruiting: Prolific local scorer wowed by "amazing" visit for Wisconsin game Importantly, the Spiders return goalie Zach Vigue. The sturdy fifth-year senior saved nearly 56 percent of shots he faced and gave up just 9.26 goals per game, good for third in the nation. Vigue did not play last season against the Terps. Spiders bring athleticism​ The Spiders' offense features athletic midfield play. Henry Alpaugh (12g, 2a) provides a big physical presence in the midfield. Standing six-feet, five-inches and weighing 220 pounds, Alpaugh likes to get downhill and use his size to get off shots. He joins returning starter Joe Sheridan (7g, 4a), who had a down season in 2024 after recording 20 goals as a freshman in 2023. Sheridan is as athletic as they come. The Spiders graduated their leading scorer but return their second leading scorer from last year in Aidan O'Neil (31g, 20a). The strong lefty posted two goals last season against the Terps. Lukas Olsson (11g, 1a) is a physical clone of O'Neil. The Canadian finisher can find spaces in defenses but isn't the dodging threat that O'Neil is. Richmond's defense returns talent​ The Spiders' defense returns key pieces besides Vigue in goal. Hunter Smith (1g, 1a, 16ct, 31gb) has great size and isn't afraid to press out, cause turnovers, and get into transition. Nate Murphy (1a, 8ct, 9gb) saw extensive action as a rotational player at close defense and figures to play more this season. Mitch Dunham, a big, physical, and athletic transfer from Mt. St. Mary's will immediately plug-in and play at close defense. The Spiders might be thinner in their defensive midfield. Ryan Thompson (2g, 5ct, 13gb) and Jack Pilling (2g, 1a, 12ct, 30gb) make for a great short-stick duo, but the Spiders will likely have to break in new LSMs and other short-stick defenders. Where the Spiders have plenty of production is in the faceoff unit. Jared Chenoy (1g, 4a, 83gh, 52 percent) will take the majority of draws for the Spiders. He won only 12 of 29 draws last year against Luke Wierman, but Wierman no longer mans the faceoff X for the Terps. Inside the Match-Up​ Chemotti has installed somewhat unique offensive and defensive systems, and he recruits well to those systems. Last season, per Lacrosse Reference, Richmond's offense was the 11th most efficient unit the nation, while its defense was even better as the second most efficient unit in the country. While the Spiders have returning production in both units, they also break in new players all over the field. On offense, Richmond will extend the field horizontally and uses on- and off-ball picks on the wings and crease. Given the athleticism of midfielders like Alpaugh and Sheridan, Richmond likes to initiate on the high wings and let those midfielders get a head of steam. Richmond will dodge its attack from behind the goal, but their more east-west offensive flow means that attackmen will start dodges in the deep corners. They will drive hard to the crease areas. Attackmen like O'Neil are strong enough to get into defenders' bodies but also athletic enough to blow by defenders. With so many off-ball picks, Richmond's dodgers keep their heads up to look for feeds to the backside of a formation. McDonald's status in question​ Off-ball communication for the Terps will be key. With Colin Burlace likely moving into the top cover defenseman role, he will likely take the O'Neil matchup. Will Schaller during preseason scrimmages also took matchups against dodgers, which means Jackson Canfield will likely draw the off-ball matchup against Olsson. As of this writing, it is unclear if Terp LSM Jack McDonald will suit up against Richmond due to NCAA requirements. Should he not play, AJ Larkin will take the top midfield matchup against Alpaugh. Who plays the second and third LSM roles for the Terps remains to be seen. The Terps should feel good about their quality and depth at the short-stick defensive midfield positions. Eric Kolar and George Stamos have experience and are threats in transition. Bowdoin College graduate transfer Zach Goorno comes to College Park after a stellar career at the Division Three level. Geordy Holmes saw his role grow last season and looks to contribute on a more regular basis. Alex Wicks returns after missing last season with a knee injury. It's unclear if he will be ready to play in the opener. Spanos highlights Terps' attack​ At the other end of the field, the Terps have knowns at attack in Eric Spanos, Daniel Kelly, and Braden Erksa. That is, unless Erksa runs through the box as a midfielder. The Terps have more in flux at the midfield. Coach Tillman brought in several graduate transfers that could see time at attack or midfield. Jack Dowd and Noah Armitage are big bodies and stretch shooters in the midfield, but Bryce Ford and Matthew Keegan could flip between attack and midfield. Returning players – Zach Whittier, Elijah Stobaugh, Marco Signorello, and Thomas Gravino – could mix through midfield rotations. In the two preseason scrimmages the Terps played, one at Duke and against Georgetown, the Terps offense saw mixed success. Against Duke, the Terrapins turned the ball over and had trouble getting into rhythm. Against Georgetown, the Terps were more settled and efficient. Turnovers a concern?​ On one hand, the questions about Maryland's personnel could cause Richmond's defense trouble. Who will draw which matchups? On the other hand, Richmond plays a somewhat unique defensive style. They will extend in man-to-man and look to force turnovers in the midfield. They will also fall back and play a zone defense that at times looks like man-to-man but really is a zone. If the Terps have trouble identifying Richmond's defense or with continuity among personnel groupings, Richmond will force a lot of turnovers. Zone defenses force offenses to move the ball quickly and having outside shooting options helps. Stretch shooting this year should not be a problem with players like Armitage and Dowd; however, sloppy stick work – the kind you often see when teams have a lot of new parts – can grind an offense to a halt when facing a zone defense. McNaney sporting No. 1​ In the scrimmage against Duke, the Terps struggled all over the field, including in goal and at the faceoff. Against Georgetown, however, Logan McNaney looked solid. He will start in goal – the first Terrapin goalie to wear the iconic No. 1 jersey - against the Spiders. Similarly, Shea Keethler played well against Georgetown. Getting to at least 50 percent at the faceoff is a must for the Terps to excel. The Prediction​ Word out of the Duke scrimmage caused some alarm to the Terps' faithful, but their performance against Georgetown should calm some of those early season nerves. The Terps face the second toughest schedule in the nation, and this game against Richmond will not be a breeze. New parts, moving pieces – for both teams – probably means a sloppy game. The Terps extra-man unit did not perform well last year but could be the key to an early season win against Richmond. The Spiders averaged three penalties a game last season. If the Terps can net some extra-man goals and Keethler can get to 50 percent at the faceoff dot, the Terps should feel good about their chances for a win. The guess here is the Terps carry over their momentum from the Georgetown scrimmage and beat Richmond. IMS prediction: Terps 13-10. ​