Maryland men’s lacrosse 2026 season recap

FOXBOROUGH, MA - MAY 24: Will Schaller (27) of Maryland Terrapins in action during the 2025 NCAA Div I Men's Lacrosse Semifinal match between Syracuse Orange and Maryland Terrapins on May 24, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The frustration in head coach John Tillman’s voice was palpable when he gave his closing remarks after Maryland men’s lacrosse’s Big Ten Tournament exit.

“We just have to deal with the consequences because we didn’t do enough to determine our own fate,” Tillman said. For the first time under Tillman, the Terps’ nation-leading streak of 22 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances was in jeopardy. Maryland posted its most regular season losses since 2009 and needed help to avoid a premature end to its disastrous season.

While other conference tournaments went the Terps’ way — Yale and Harvard lost during the Ivy League Tournament, Virginia cruised through the ACC Tournament and all potential bid stealers were eliminated — the results still weren’t enough. After being the top-ranked preseason team, Maryland failed to secure one of eight at-large selections and was left entirely out of the tournament. It wasn’t a complete surprise given the Terps’ resume; they lacked a signature top-5 victory that Duke and Yale boasted.

Maryland ranked 14th in RPI, the third-best mark of the four bubble teams. But the Terps’ fight back into the postseason conversation after early-season adversity was remarkable. Eric Spanos missed the final three nonconference games, and top defenseman Will Schaller suffered a season-ending injury prior to Big Ten play.