Maryland Defeats 'Cuse in NCAA Semis

Saturday, May 24

Foxborough, Mass.

2:30 p.m.

Syracuse University

13-6

Maryland

14-3

Syracuse

Maryland

5/24/2025 5:10:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

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Foxborough, Mass. – Syracuse's NCAA Tournament run came to an end in the national semifinals, after Maryland used a first-half outburst to open a lead that the Orange were unable to overcome.

The No. 3 Terps (14-4) advance to Monday's National Championship Game with an 14-8 win over the No. 5 Orange (13-6). Still, there were many bright spots to Syracuse's season, returning to Championship Weekend for the first time since 2013 and tying for the most victories (13) since that same 2013 campaign.

Maryland controlled possessions, winning 14-of-24 faceoffs, helping them lead by as much as eight in the third quarter. While 'Cuse has erased multiple large deficits in this NCAA Tournament, coming from as many as six down, the eight-goal advantage proved to be insurmountable.

Jimmy McCool made 12 saves in cage for 'Cuse. Offensively, Michael Leo and Finn Thomson each scored twice, and Sam English notched a goal and a pair of assists.

How It Happened
- Owen Hiltz put the Orange on the board first, with English providing the helper, less than a minute into game action.
- Maryland closed the first quarter with three-straight goals to open a 3-1 lead after 15 minutes of action. Netminder Jimmy McCool stopped six of the nine shots he faced in the opening frame.
- The Terps added five more to start the second quarter, opening an 8-1 advantage. Eric Spanos (two) and Daniel Kelly (two) had multiple goals during the run.
- Thomson ended a more-than 26-minute drought for the Orange with 2:15 left before halftime. English notched his second assist of the day on the tally.
- Coming out of the break, Maryland's Braden Erksa and Spanos each scored to increase the Syracuse deficit to eight, the largest of the game.
- Thomson scored his second of the game to start a three-goal 'Cuse run in the third, with 10:52 on the clock.
- Leo got into the action under two minutes later after collecting a ground ball and firing it through traffic into the back of the net.
- Luke Rhoa pulled the 'Cuse back to within five with 6:51 left in the third, dodging down the alley and scoring five-hole.
- Spanos put an end to the Syracuse run in transition with four minutes remaining in the third, his fourth goal of the day, giving the Terps a six-goal lead heading into the final frame.
- Faceoff man John Mullen got the fourth-quarter started with a solo-effort, winning the draw and taking it to the cage.
- Maryland's Bryce Ford answered with 10 minutes to play, preventing the Orange from getting within four.
- Leo cut the lead to five with just under six minutes to go, his second of the afternoon, but that was as close as 'Cuse came the rest of the way.

Behind the Numbers
- Hiltz extended his school-record streak of consecutive games with at least one point to 64.
- Syracuse's 13 victories ties for the most in a season for the Orange since its 2013 squad (the 2015 and 2017 'Cuse squads also tallied 13 wins in that timeframe).