Maryland men's lacrosse defensive preview: Terps lose two all-time greats, but talent remains abundant
How do you replace the first defenseman since 1993 to win the prestigious Enners Outstanding Player of the Year Award for college lacrosse? How do you replace a faceoff specialist who rewrote the entire program record book and also redefined the position in the modern shot-clock era?
You don't.
Ajax Zappitello and Luke Wierman aren't coming back to College Park.
Such is life, though, for Maryland lacrosse. The Terps seem to have an assembly line of elite All-American cover defensemen that few other programs could replace. Yet Zappitello followed Brett Makar, who followed Curtis Corley, who followed Tim Muller, and on and on it goes.
Next up for the Terps' defense is Colin Burlace, the son of another Terrapin defensive great in Brian "Bubba" Burlace. The senior from Annapolis started his career as an off-ball defender but last season showed his ability to be a lockdown on-ball defender. He forced 14 turnovers, hoovered 34 groundballs, and showed the added dimension of being able to score in transition.
Jackson Canfield, a one-time Vermont transfer, returns for a final season after seeing extensive playing time in every 2024 game. The fireplug Canfield could be the strongest player on the team but also has good mobility.
Will Schaller might challenge Canfield for the strongest player on the team. Like Canfield, Schaller saw extensive playing time in every game of the 2024. A former hockey player, Schaller is great off the ground and plays with a physical edge.
Burlace, Canfield, and Schaller will likely comprise the starting close defense. Maryland's close defensive depth might be tested at the start of the season. Riley Reese, son of two Maryland lacrosse greats in Cathy and Brian Reese, might start the season recovering from an injury. Reese earned playing time on the man-down unit in 2024 and looked to take a bigger role this season.
If Reese cannot play, Maryland defensive coordinator Jesse Bernhart will have to break in less experienced close defenders to rotate in among the starters. Sophomore Trey Brown did not see action last season but possesses ideal size and mobility. Peter Laake, a five-star freshman from Baltimore, could also see early playing time. Laake made national news in 2021 as a freshman at Loyola Blakefield High School when he blocked a shot with his chest that caused his heart to stop beating. If not for immediate CPR and then AED care, Laake might not have survived. Instead, he finished his high school career as an All-American.
The Terps' defensive midfield suffered some losses via graduation, but the addition of the Division III midfielder of the year in Zach Goorno should stabilize the short-stick unit. Goorno put up the kind of numbers at Bowdoin College that you expect from an offensive midfielder – 61 points and an absurd 208 groundballs.
Returning contributors Eric Kolar and George Stamos give the Terps an experienced corps of short-stick defenders that most programs envy. Both Kolar and Stamos are threats in transition, as seen in Stamos' overtime winner at Syracuse last season. The Terps welcome back Alex Wicks from injury, although his rehabilitation might limit his action early in the season. Geordy Holmes saw extensive playing time on the man-down unit in 2024 and is great in transition.
The LSM position, like the close defense, has knowns in high-level players like Jack MacDonald (1g, 1a, 10ct, 36gb) and AJ Larkin (1g, 1a, 5ct, 19gb). Yet there are unknowns behind those two. Does the six-foot, six-inch freshman Trevor Owens jump into the LSM rotation? Owens, a three-sport star out of the St. James High School in Hagerstown, possesses rare athleticism and size; but making the jump from a small high school in western Maryland to Division One lacrosse is not easy.
Normally, bringing back a sixth-year goalie, who won the 2022 Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament, would remove questions surrounding goaltending play. Logan McNaney returned in 2024 after missing all but 1 game in 2023 due to a knee injury, but he had an up-and-down 2024 season. He played most of 2024 with a hand injury and missed most of the fall season. Brian Ruppel, who started 13 games in 2023 as a freshman after McNaney injured his knee, redshirted last season. Ruppel famously made three rapid saves in overtime against Virginia to win that 2023 game and could supplant McNaney as the starter this season if McNaney is not fully recovered from his injury.
Finally, the Terps must figure out how to replace Luke Wierman's production at the faceoff spot. Shea Keethler (61 percent, 12gb) played well in Wierman's absence for a game last season, while now sophomore Sean Creter took just 12 faceoffs last season and only won three. Creter came to Maryland as a highly rated recruit who could not only win faceoffs, but score. The Terps will need Keethler and Creter to win above 50 percent of combined faceoffs to give the Terps time to figure out their offensive flow. Wierman's graduation likely looms largest for the Terrapins' 2025 prospects.
The Terps open their 100th season as a varsity program next week in College Park against Richmond. IMS will provide weekly previews and game coverage for the season.
How do you replace the first defenseman since 1993 to win the prestigious Enners Outstanding Player of the Year Award for college lacrosse? How do you replace a faceoff specialist who rewrote the entire program record book and also redefined the position in the modern shot-clock era?
How do you replace the first defenseman since 1993 to win the prestigious Enners Outstanding Player of the Year Award for college lacrosse? How do you replace a faceoff specialist who rewrote the entire program record book and also redefined the position in the modern shot-clock era?
You don't.
Ajax Zappitello and Luke Wierman aren't coming back to College Park.
Such is life, though, for Maryland lacrosse. The Terps seem to have an assembly line of elite All-American cover defensemen that few other programs could replace. Yet Zappitello followed Brett Makar, who followed Curtis Corley, who followed Tim Muller, and on and on it goes.
Next up for the Terps' defense is Colin Burlace, the son of another Terrapin defensive great in Brian "Bubba" Burlace. The senior from Annapolis started his career as an off-ball defender but last season showed his ability to be a lockdown on-ball defender. He forced 14 turnovers, hoovered 34 groundballs, and showed the added dimension of being able to score in transition.
Jackson Canfield, a one-time Vermont transfer, returns for a final season after seeing extensive playing time in every 2024 game. The fireplug Canfield could be the strongest player on the team but also has good mobility.
Will Schaller might challenge Canfield for the strongest player on the team. Like Canfield, Schaller saw extensive playing time in every game of the 2024. A former hockey player, Schaller is great off the ground and plays with a physical edge.
Burlace, Canfield, and Schaller will likely comprise the starting close defense. Maryland's close defensive depth might be tested at the start of the season. Riley Reese, son of two Maryland lacrosse greats in Cathy and Brian Reese, might start the season recovering from an injury. Reese earned playing time on the man-down unit in 2024 and looked to take a bigger role this season.
If Reese cannot play, Maryland defensive coordinator Jesse Bernhart will have to break in less experienced close defenders to rotate in among the starters. Sophomore Trey Brown did not see action last season but possesses ideal size and mobility. Peter Laake, a five-star freshman from Baltimore, could also see early playing time. Laake made national news in 2021 as a freshman at Loyola Blakefield High School when he blocked a shot with his chest that caused his heart to stop beating. If not for immediate CPR and then AED care, Laake might not have survived. Instead, he finished his high school career as an All-American.
The Terps' defensive midfield suffered some losses via graduation, but the addition of the Division III midfielder of the year in Zach Goorno should stabilize the short-stick unit. Goorno put up the kind of numbers at Bowdoin College that you expect from an offensive midfielder – 61 points and an absurd 208 groundballs.
Returning contributors Eric Kolar and George Stamos give the Terps an experienced corps of short-stick defenders that most programs envy. Both Kolar and Stamos are threats in transition, as seen in Stamos' overtime winner at Syracuse last season. The Terps welcome back Alex Wicks from injury, although his rehabilitation might limit his action early in the season. Geordy Holmes saw extensive playing time on the man-down unit in 2024 and is great in transition.
The LSM position, like the close defense, has knowns in high-level players like Jack MacDonald (1g, 1a, 10ct, 36gb) and AJ Larkin (1g, 1a, 5ct, 19gb). Yet there are unknowns behind those two. Does the six-foot, six-inch freshman Trevor Owens jump into the LSM rotation? Owens, a three-sport star out of the St. James High School in Hagerstown, possesses rare athleticism and size; but making the jump from a small high school in western Maryland to Division One lacrosse is not easy.
Normally, bringing back a sixth-year goalie, who won the 2022 Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament, would remove questions surrounding goaltending play. Logan McNaney returned in 2024 after missing all but 1 game in 2023 due to a knee injury, but he had an up-and-down 2024 season. He played most of 2024 with a hand injury and missed most of the fall season. Brian Ruppel, who started 13 games in 2023 as a freshman after McNaney injured his knee, redshirted last season. Ruppel famously made three rapid saves in overtime against Virginia to win that 2023 game and could supplant McNaney as the starter this season if McNaney is not fully recovered from his injury.
Finally, the Terps must figure out how to replace Luke Wierman's production at the faceoff spot. Shea Keethler (61 percent, 12gb) played well in Wierman's absence for a game last season, while now sophomore Sean Creter took just 12 faceoffs last season and only won three. Creter came to Maryland as a highly rated recruit who could not only win faceoffs, but score. The Terps will need Keethler and Creter to win above 50 percent of combined faceoffs to give the Terps time to figure out their offensive flow. Wierman's graduation likely looms largest for the Terrapins' 2025 prospects.
The Terps open their 100th season as a varsity program next week in College Park against Richmond. IMS will provide weekly previews and game coverage for the season.
