A double hat trick from Eric Spanos led the way for Maryland.
With the first quarter coming to a close, it seemed like No. 2-seed Maryland men’s lacrosse had fallen asleep under the hot May sun.
The Terps had gotten off to a strong start, building an early lead, but long Air Force possessions and a 10-minute break for technical difficulties had sucked the life out of the game. Maryland’s offense seemed a half-step slow, and its 2-1 lead was far too small for a game in the NCAA Tournament, where three of five seeded teams had already faltered.
Eric Spanos changed that in an instant. The All-American honorable mention attacker got the ball behind the net while matched up with short stick defensive midfielder Charlie Pyfer. Spanos is five inches taller and 45 pounds heavier than his marker, who didn’t even have the long pole to compensate — so the crafty senior decided the best way forward was through.
He wrapped around the cage, dropped his left shoulder and charged straight into Pyfer, who was knocked three yards backwards. With his defender stumbling and the crowd roaring, Spanos slipped in front of the net, pump-faked the goalkeeper and buried his second score of the game.
That moment of energy woke the Terps back up. Led by a career day from Spanos, whose six goals tied for second all-time for Maryland in an NCAA tournament game, the Terps muscled past Air Force, 13-5, on a Mother’s Day matinee in College Park.
“[I’m] just proud of our guys,” head coach John Tillman said. “Just happy for these guys, especially our seniors, to have another [game]… happy we get another week together, and obviously got a lot of work to do.”
A Maryland faceoff unit that struggled over the last month got some respite against the Falcons. Shea Keethler, who won just 44% of his faceoffs in Big Ten play, won all six of his first-half draws against Air Force. The Terps converted each of the first two.
A minute in, Daniel Kelly found his spot on the right hashes and pummeled a trademark left-handed shot into the far corner to give Maryland the lead; a minute later, it was Spanos attacking net from the other side, diving around his defender to double the lead.
Maryland’s defense engaged from there. After a sloppy performance against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, the Terps’ movement on the backside was much improved. Air Force had lots of possession through the opening quarter — yet, aside from an overload that led to the Falcons’ first goal, Maryland never truly looked threatened.
“A lot of it comes from our scout team,” long stick midfielder AJ Larkin said. “We have so many guys in the locker room, especially on the scout team, that are so bought into what our goal is as a team, and they know their role and their job, and they do it to the best of their ability every day.”
First team All-American defender Will Schaller continued his excellent season by clamping down on Air Force star Josh Yago. The Falcons’ lone All-American honorable mention entered Sunday averaging 4.38 points per game, the 17th-best mark in the nation, but managed just two points against Maryland — tied for his worst mark on the year.
Two slick goals either side of the quarter break doubled the Terps’ tally. Spanos’ bully-ball goal injected life back into the Maryland offense; Bryce Ford’s one-handed scoop past the goalkeeper’s head after dodging past two defenders made it 4-1 Maryland.
Air Force got a goal back halfway through the frame, with Yago finding attacker Caelan Driggs for his 59th goal of the season, but Maryland found another gear on offense. Spanos, Braden Erksa and Kelly scored in quick succession — just like that, the Terps had a five-goal advantage at the break.
The dam broke for Maryland in the third quarter. Spanos notched his fourth and fifth goals early in the frame on solo efforts. Another Spanos shot rebounded to graduate midfielder Noah Armitage, who scored his first goal for the Terps. Matthew Keegan also got in on the goalscoring action.
“I think we just found a flow there, and, you know, we were just riding it,” Spanos said.
And with 17 seconds left in the third quarter, Spanos scored his sixth goal. It was a significant goal — it set a personal career-high and tied the second-place mark for most goals in an NCAA Tournament game. Spanos is the third Terp to ever hit six goals in the playoffs, which was most recently achieved by Jared Bernhardt against Vermont in 2021 and was one behind the all-time tournament record.
“It’s definitely meaningful,” Spanos said. “The last game of… the season, in our stadium, it’s definitely meaningful to go out there and be able to produce and, you know, just help the team win in any way I can.”
Air Force had opportunities to claw back in the second half, but McNaney finished with 10 saves. It was the 13th time the All-American second team netminder hit double digits this season.
Yago and Whittier traded scores in the fourth quarter with the game already out of reach before Tillman reached deep into the well for substitutes. Air Force scored two more on Maryland’s reserve defense, but the result was already well in hand.
Three things to know
1. Get-right game for Maryland faceoffs. The Terps had struggled from the X in their last three games, winning less than 40% of their faceoffs across that span. On Sunday, though, the Terps went 14-of-22. Air Force entered the game 54th nationally in faceoff win rate, and Maryland took its chance to get its unit some momentum heading into the rest of the tournament.
2. Maryland extends historical advantage. Air Force entered Sunday having never scored more than six goals against Maryland. It seemed unlikely that record would hold, but the Terps’ defense locked down, allowing its second-lowest goal tally on the season.
3. Round two set. Georgetown upset No. 7 Duke on Saturday, meaning it will be an all-DMV affair for a spot at Gillette Stadium on Memorial Day Weekend. The Terps and the Hoyas will face off on May 18 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.