Maryland men's lacrosse vs. Penn preview: Terps look to extend winning streak against Quakers

Maryland men's lacrosse rides a four-game winning streak into Philadelphia to take on the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

After defeating No. 12 North Carolina at Maryland Stadium on Saturday, the No. 5 Terrapins (5-2) climbed back into the top five for the first time in a month. Sophomore midfielder Connor Kelly recorded a career-high six points and junior Matt Rambo added four goals in the Terps 11-8 victory over the Tar Heels.

Maryland looks to improve to 12-0 all-time against No. 20 Penn (5-3) on Tuesday. The Quakers are ranked for the first time this season and are looking for their second top-25 win of the month. Senior Nick Doktor and Penn's 17th-ranked offense defeated Cornell last weekend for the first time in 10 years.

How to watch

Watch: Ivy League Digital Network, 4:00 p.m.

Players to Watch

Nick Doktor: The senior attackman controls the Quakers' offense, leading the nation with 23 assists. Doktor is second on the team in ground balls, and seems to always have the ball in his stick. He is a threat to score goals himself, with his eight goals pushing him to 11th in the nation in points per game.

Reed Junkin: Junkin is leading the nation in saves per game and is fifth in save percentage, stopping 58.6 percent of shots. The freshman was named co-Ivy League Player of the Week and Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Monday, the first Ivy player to win both since 2005. He is one of the best goalies in the nation.

Alex Roesner: The freshman's 13 goals are tied for the team lead, and his six goals on the Extra Man Offense are tied for third in the nation. Roesner was one of the top 20 recruits in the nation, and has been lethal on the extra man. If he is given any space to free his hands, expect a goal.

Strength

Extra Man Offense: Alex Roesner is not the only reason the Terrapins should be concerned about playing man down. Penn is incredibly effective with an extra man, converting over 46 percent of chances, good for 13th-best in the nation. Maryland's ability to avoid penalties will impact the the entire game.

Reed Junkin: Penn's defense wouldn't qualify as a strength on its own, as the Quakers are 35th in the nation in goals allowed. The freshman, however, has been fantastic all year. He is in the top five in the nation in save percentage and saves, and has done everything except score to keep the Quakers in the game.

Weakness

Faceoffs: Penn is in the bottom 10 in faceoff percentage this season, which does not bode well against Austin Henningsen and Maryland. Henningsen has been fantastic all season, and was named the Defensive Player of the Week on March 23. Henningsen won 16 faceoffs in Maryland's 10-7 win over No. 10 Albany.

Sharing the ball: Besides Doktor, who controls the Quakers' offense and leads the nation in assists, no player on Penn has more than five assists this season. As long as the Terrapins stay home on defense and play strong individual defense, the Quakers will have a difficult time scoring.