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After suffering its first loss of the season to Notre Dame last weekend, Maryland men’s lacrosse is back in action this Saturday against No. 12 Albany.
The Great Danes have been one of college lacrosse’s most elite programs over the last couple of years. They rose to national prominence with the emergence of brothers Miles and Lyle Thompson, two Native American brothers who combined for nearly 700 points in their time at Albany. Since their departure, the team has continued the high-octane style of play they brought.
The Great Danes lost their season opener against Syracuse, but have since won three straight against Drexel, UMass and Cornell in convincing fashion.
The Terps put up just four goals against the Fighting Irish, and will need a resurrected offense to beat the America East conference favorites.
Game Info:
When and where: Casey Stadium in Albany N.Y., 3:00 p.m.
How to watch: ESPN3
Albany Great Danes (3-1)
Head coach: Scott Marr. One of the only coaches in program history, Marr was hired when the team made its transition to Division I. In his 17 seasons with the Great Danes, he’s led the team to seven conference titles and eight NCAA Tournament appearances. He’s still looking for the team’s first national title appearance, and he’s got a talented enough squad to do so.
Players to Know
No. 5 Connor Fields, junior, attack. A USILA Third-Team All-American and Tewaaraton award nominee, the junior has already racked up 30 points behind 14 goals and 16 assists. Last week he finished with five goals and three assists against Cornell, and he’s climbed up to No. 4 in the nation in goals per game.
No. 3 TD Ierlan, freshman, face-off. The Victor, N.Y. native is climbing up the rankings as the best young face-off man in the country. Boasting a .619 winning-percentage, he’s second among all freshmen and 10th in the country overall. He had a dominant 15-for-21 outing against Cornell last week, and will look to assert his dominance over Maryland’s Austin Henningsen.
Strength
Goal output. The Great Danes are one of the most high scoring offenses in the country. They rank first in scoring margin (+7.50) and fourth in goals and points per game at 15.50 and 25.75, respectively. They’ve combined for 53 goals over the last three games, compared to the Terps who have managed just four goals in the last 75 minutes of play.
Weakness
Causing turnovers. For a team as highly ranked as the Great Danes, they’re surprisingly bad at disrupting offenses and causing turnovers. Averaging 4.5 per game, that puts them as the seventh worst in Division I.