Maryland looks to ‘control the chaos’ in Final Four tilt against Syracuse

The Maryland men’s lacrosse team didn’t get to enjoy the lead-up to Thursday’s graduation festivities on campus, which featured a speech from Kermit the Frog.

Despite constant rain, they practiced. Coach John Tillman wanted to prepare his players as much as possible for Saturday’s Final Four tilt against Syracuse in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

This year’s Terrapins, led by Tillman in his 15th season at the helm, thrive on structure. Missed passes were a rarity at Thursday’s practice, as were complaints about the dreary weather.

They’re on a revenge tour, looking to rebound after a loss to Notre Dame in last year’s national championship game. 

“The pressure is a privilege,” said attacker Daniel Kelly. “We view it like that, but we’re just trying to take it one step at a time.”

Notre Dame is out of the tournament, but Syracuse presents a similarly tough task for Maryland.

The Terrapins defeated the Orange 11-7 in February. That was three months ago, though. Several Maryland players said it’s hard to apply any lessons from that regular-season matchup. 

“Syracuse is a great team. They’ve been playing their best lacrosse as of late,” defenseman Colin Burlace said. “You know, they’re a completely different team than the one we played in February.”

“It was so long ago,” Kelly said. “We’re different. They’re different. That’s pretty much it.”

The defense-minded Terrapins are focused on keeping a high-powered Orange attack in check. That’s easier said than done; Syracuse posted 19 goals in a quarterfinals win over Princeton. 

“We got to kind of control the chaos,” Burlace said. “They’re a really skilled, really slick, very talented group. As long as we can stop some passes, don’t overcompensate, don’t try to do too much, everyone just do their job, we should be able to get some stops. 

Some players, including Burlace and Kelly, remember the 2022 national championship that capped an undefeated season. Others watched the gritty 2017 team that won a title after back-to-back years as a runner-up.

But, despite making his 11th Final Four, the process never gets old for coach Tillman. 

“Part of the drive is there’s a new group of guys that have never been there,” he said, reminiscing about his own trips as a player. “You want them to be part of it, because it is something the kids will remember for a long time.”

Tillman’s 2025 group of Terrapins ranks among his best, with three players selected in this month’s Premier Lacrosse League draft. Goalie Logan McNaney and midfielder Jack McDonald were second-round picks by the Denver Outlaws and Carolina Chaos, respectively. 

The Utah Archers selected midfielder Bryce Ford in the fourth round. 

The group also includes Eric Spanos, who has racked up more than 100 points in his career with the Terrapins. He was named to the first-team All-Big Ten and scored a career-high six goals in the tournament-opening win against Air Force.

The accolades don’t set the roster apart from other, similarly gifted Maryland squads. 

“It’s just the locker room, the guys that we have in this locker room,” Kelly said. “We don’t want this thing to end. We’re fighting for more days together.”

Tillman said he clocked that connectedness when his players returned to campus in August. The midfielders, attackers, defensemen and goalies have held each other accountable for the last nine months. 

The coach’s job is to prepare them for what comes next. 

That includes Saturday’s heavyweight showdown against Syracuse, a potential national championship appearance on Monday and 40 years as a member of the “real world,” according to Tillman.

“The fun part happens. The guys go to tailgates and go to Chipotle and meet girls. They take care of each other,” Tillman said. “But there is a responsibility for us not just to use these guys to win games. We need to make sure that when they leave, they’re ready.”

Saturday’s game begins at 2:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots. The victor will face either Cornell or Penn State in Monday’s national championship game.