Notre Dame rushed to its goalie as the final buzzer sounded at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field last May. It won 15-5 over Maryland in the NCAA Division 1 men’s lacrosse championship game, marking the Fighting Irish’s second consecutive national title.

Tomorrow, the Terps get a second chance in a neutral-site matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia — with high-stakes rankings up for grabs. Notre Dame enters Saturday as the nation’s No. 1 team, while Maryland sits at No. 2, mirroring the 2024 season’s final results. 

“If you lose, sometimes just getting back on the field is the most important thing,” Maryland coach John Tillman said. “You just wanna get back in and get that bad taste out of your mouth.”

The Irish were unstoppable in the postseason a year ago, beating every opponent in last year’s tournament by at least a five goal margin. 

That five goal margin was doubled in the national title game, ballooned to a 10-goal final advantage over the Terps.

Maryland came into last year’s tournament as a seven-seed underdog, facing a gauntlet against Princeton, No. 2 Duke and No. 6 Virginia, all of which established as top contending teams. 

The Terps took care of business in their first two matches leading up to a semifinal appearance against Virginia. Maryland cruised past the Cavaliers in dominant fashion, 12-6.

Recent momentum extended early into the national title game. The Terps provided an offensive blitz out of the gate, starting with a 2-0 lead. 

But the lead soon diminished, soon becoming a Notre Dame masterclass. Fighting Irish attackmen Pat Kavanagh had six points in the matchup, while his brother Chris tallied five emphatic goals. Returning attackmen Daniel Kelly led Maryland in goals with two, while graduate midfielder Eric Malever provided a team-high three points.

Returning goalie Logan McNaney, the new recipient of Maryland’s prized number-one jersey number, had yet another game with double-digit saves in the loss.

A mirrored image to begin the 2025 season sees both teams back at the top of the national rankings — each being red-hot in all aspects of play. 

Three out of the Terps’ four wins this year have come against top-25 opponents — two of which were previously top-five ranked opponents at the time. 

Coming off a dominant 13-9 road win against No. 5 Princeton, Maryland is well-positioned for Saturday’s rematch. The Terps have yet to give up double-digit goals this season on their defensive side of the field. They’ve won over 60 percent from the midfield dot while outscoring opponents by 14 goals. 

Notre Dame is starting its 2025 campaign much like Maryland, back in the win column. The Fighting Irish have won their first three games to start the year, two of which have come by double-digit margins — most recently clawing their way to a road win over Georgetown, 11-9.

Maryland and Notre Dame have met 18 times, each splitting the all-time series with nine wins apiece. But the Irish have claimed wins in their last three matchups — Notre Dame is undefeated when facing Maryland at a neutral-site. The Terps have a chance to change that in Atlanta tomorrow.

“Our fans, they get excited about teams like Notre Dame,” Tillman said. “Princeton and Syracuse the last two weeks, two really traditional, strong programs and teams that have won championships … Terp nation gets excited about it.”

Saturday presents yet another resume-building opportunity for the undefeated Terps — with a rare postseason feel for a regular-season matchup to begin March.

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