Maryland 2025

[keno in reno]

Ok I assume the regulars are withholding out of superstition, so I'll start the thread. '24 ended up being a shockingly great season ending up #2 in the country while beating Duke and dominating UVA along the way. But the reality remains that the offensive talent as a whole was not among the top 10 units in the country. Realistically, probably below top 20 on offense.

So a lot needs to change in order for the Terps to be at a talent advantage to JHU, Michigan, PSU and the usual gauntlet of non-conference foes. Simply returning the same rotation that has eligibility isn't going to move the needle. It'll be fun to see, and if anyone can do it, it's John Tillman...

[jrn19]

The team finished 28th in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency at 31.9%. Basically identical to 2023. However in the tournament; when they moved Spanos to attack, Malever and Erksa back to midfield, and played with some confidence; they were at 33.3%. Which would have been 20th (same as Denver, who made the Final Four.) In the first 3 games of the tournament, it was 37.6%. Obviously this wasn't the level of the offense for the whole season and it isn't necessarily what they'll be next year; but with all 3 of those guys returning and the adjustments bearing fruit, I think it's safe to say they found something that can lead to more success next year. Doesn't mean Top 10, but they'll be better.

The defense was 24.5%, 4th. They lose Zappitello, but return Schaller, Burlace, and Canfield. McDonald was a senior but did not feature much in 2021, so not sure if he's gone yet. Larken got more and more playing time as the year went on as well. They got Kolar and Stamos back at shortie, but lose Sharkey and Redd, so will need two more. The team has been Top 10 in defense in 3 of the last 4 years; last year the exception when zappitello went down the last couple weeks and Ruppel was saving sub-50% every week.

They have McNaney back, and he was 10th in adjusted save percentage. He had his ups and downs, but you can do much worse than him and we saw teams who lost games in this tournament due to goalie play (Maryland was there in 2023.) He's not that and never will be. Will be a big return.

Wierman is the massive loss. Keethler played well against Brown. Creter came in with a lot of fanfare this year. I think they'll be a pretty solid duo, and having two guys has its benefits; can mix matchups up, keep guys fresh. But they will not be Wierman, and the team will need to find ways to manufacture more offense and play faster without having the luxury of a guy who can help decisively dictate a big possession advantage.

Major returnees:
Erksa (leading scorer)
Spanos (2nd)
Malever (3rd)
Burlace
Schaller
Canfield
McNaney
Stamos
Kolar

Losses:
Wierman
Zappitello
Koras
Maltz
Siracusa
Kelly (he played like 5 games in 2021, I assume he's gone, but stranger things have happened)

That's a decent chunk of scoring, but I don't think it's irreplaceable. Maltz and Kelly will be missed, Koras' do-everything style is always valuable. But you can replace 30ish points from each. The guys you really want/need back are back. Hopefully Malever is able to get back to something approximating what he was in 2022.

Projecting a starting lineup for 2025:

A: Spanos
A: Malever
A: Spencer Ford

M: Erksa
M: Stobaugh
M: ???

FO: Creter/Keethler

Rope: Stamos/Kolar (SSDM); Larkin (LSM) (maybe McDonald returns)

Close:
Schaller
Canfield
Burlace
Peter Laake (4th)

Goalie: McNaney

That's the nucleus of a good team. These guys did make a national championship game; it was an unlikely and improbable run, but they played their best at the right time. They also were kicking around Top 10 against a crazy schedule, that will be easier next year by virtue of a lot of teams being younger.

The attack looks potentially promising with Spanos having success there (shame he got hurt against Duke) late, Malever has always been at least solid, and Spencer Ford gives them a tremendous off ball scorer at minimum who can also ballhandle some. Erksa at midfield is the right move in the future for me, Stobaugh you hope breaks through, has shooting team needs. 3rd midfield spot is interesting; I like Armitage from SBU but he may be a 2nd MF guy. Maybe Gardiner cracks the lineup? Whittier flashed at times but you can't start a guy who was as reticent to shoot as him

Defense is going to be strong. It likely won't be elite elite but you've got 3 strong poles there, incoming 5-star to provide depth. Larken looks like he's ready to take the leap at LSM. Shorties will be key. Sharkey came on great at the end of the year and you need a real bevy of guys there. They've got two; I'd like an experienced guy from the portal if they could grab it. Maybe they convert somebody.

Goalie steady with McNaney

I think they start in the Top 5, maybe that's not where they truly are to begin the year, but it's a wild, open season and people will want to bet on Tillman. I think it's a team that has the potential to at minimum be again in the conversation for a Top 8 seed and home game; and from there you hope things line up on the better end and always trust Tillman to get them right come the end of the year.

[Seahawk]

Aiden Atkins was redshirted this year so I assume he'll be in the mix for one of the nine players rotated through the offensive mix.

[JerrysWorld]

Kelly is coming back. My best guess would be:

Att = Spanos, Spencer Ford, Kelly
Midfield = Erksa, Malever, Bryce Ford (assuming he’s coming)
Midfield 2 = Whittier, Stobaugh, Gardiner/Aitken/Armitage

Maybe Draley in the mix

Malever could replace Spencer Ford if he isn’t ready

[Finster]

Not trying to stir the pot, but it could be time for the Terps to move on from McNaney. That last game was off the charts ooooof. Psychologically damaging.

Do you really think he’ll play another year?!

Rueppel is a solid replacement.

It would be interesting to hear Tillmans thoughts on this.

Again, to emphasize, I’m not trying to stir any pot; I think your goalie issue a legitimate question.

[keno in reno]

Not trying to stir the pot, but it could be time for the Terps to move on from McNaney. That last game was off the charts ooooof. Psychologically damaging.

Do you really think he’ll play another year?!

Rueppel is a solid replacement.

It would be interesting to hear Tillmans thoughts on this.

Again, to emphasize, I’m not trying to stir any pot; I think your goalie issue a legitimate question.

McNaney is the only possible candidate for #1 jersey. He's starting. Tillman has a bit of a dilemma about #1, this is the first time there isn't one all-american returning. It'll have to be a lifetime achievement award for Logan.

[Wheels]

Kelly is coming back.

Losing Maltz inside is probably a bigger loss than we'll all think.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Eliot Dubick become that inside guy. He backed up Maltz on EMO, and we all know Dubicks from birth are phenomenal crease attackmen. Eliot also can carry the ball, so he's a tougher match-up for defenses. Kelly, Spanos, and a guy like Dubick might be the attack next season.

I'd really love to continue seeing Erksa and Malever run through the box. With Spanos being such a physical presence at attack, having a super athletic midfield complements that very well. The staff really likes some of the young guys (McPherson, Hauhuth). My gut tells me Ford will follow Spanos' path but who knows. He's super talented. Has great size and great game awareness.

One thing this team did in their run was scramble their midfield lines. Even that first line would see a rotation of players. It really messed up opposing defenses. Scrambled their assignments, caused communication issue, led to slide and recovery breakdowns. Could that be Tills' next innovation? First he goes full position-less offense. Does that morph into line-less midfields? I talked to a player after the UVA game, and he said that UVA had no idea who was coming out the box. They were confused about match-ups.

I guess that works best if you play with a little more pace. They'll at least get shooting help with Armitage coming in. Keep hearing rumors that the Fairfield attack is between Maryland and Duke.

Defense will be great. I think McDonald is back at LSM. Burlace, Schaller, and Canfield at close with Laake being a rotation guy. Definitely need shorty help. Geordy Holmes is a guy who could break into that rotation. He's really good in transition. If a freshman breaks into that shorty rotation, I'd look at Draley. Super great athlete. Very good size. Plays with tenacity. It's hard to ask a freshman to man that spot, but he has the tools. Does Trujillo end up back home from Cuse?

McNaney, Ruppel, and Schmidt are the goalies.

You still wonder about offense.

[jrn19]

With what’s said above about Kelly and McDonald back, here’s what I’ll go with

A: Spanos
A: Kelly
A: S. Ford

M: Erksa
M: Malever
M: Stobaugh

2M: Whittier + whomever else breaks through

*If* B. Ford transfers from Fairfield, you bump in for S. Ford, who becomes a rotating in 4th attackman. I think he’d be a strong pickup, you’d get two ballhandlers at attack + Kelly’s shooting. If not, S. Ford can pass and handle as well, but you’d ideally like a tad more experience there. Maybe Malever moves back. I think under no circumstance does Erksa play attack; he needs to be using his speed downhill and getting good matchups. Stobaugh breaking through on midfield with his shot is crucial for this team IMO

SSDM: Stamos/Kolar/Draley (?)/maybe others.

LSM: McDonald/Larken

D:
Schaller
Canfield
Burlace
P. Laake (4th d)

G: McNaney

This is a good group of poles. Depth at every spot, a close defense with a lot of experience that’s had success matching up and containing good attackmen in the past. There’s no Ajax, which is obviously going to be a hit and force them to play in a different way, but that’s what Bernhardt and Tills earn the big bucks for. Shorties are the question. Stamos taking a leap plus more depth is key.

FO: Keethler/Creter
G: McNaney

There’s no question on McNaney coming back, no he’s not losing his spot, but only one person has this idea so not worth addressing. Having a duo at FOGO can be good; but ideally one breaks through and wins 55+% or so. They’ll need to play differently w/o Wierman

[viho]

It doesn’t seem like tills has been landing enough local recruits from the iac and miaa. Although Florida and Atlanta offer more than capable alternatives. Hopefully this years run will convince a few more 4 and 5 stars to play in college park.

[keno in reno]

Tills has 2 guys from McDonogh including the top goalie in the country, and 2 5 stars from Boys Latin. He's good locally

[keno in reno]

With what’s said above about Kelly and McDonald back, here’s what I’ll go with

A: Spanos
A: Kelly
A: S. Ford

Great to hear McDonald and Kelly will be back. Thats a bit of a surprise considering DK played in 4 games as a freshman.

My concern with that attack is that it's got the collective speed of an over-50 beer league team. All talented players though. I think Spencer will add a hugely needed dynamic in front of the net (hopefully he's somewhere near the Dyson Williams/Jake Taylor level which is asking a lot) that will open up the outside for Kelly and Stobaugh. But, there's no dodging in this group so I'd worry that they're not really complementary players.

[jrn19]

They have 2 5-stars from the MIAA in this years class plus one from the WCAC in DC.

On the roster right now they have Kelly (5-star), Larken (5-star), Koras (5-star), Burlace (4-star), and others from the MIAA. Trader went to McDonogh.

They recruit from it quite a bit. The MIAA guys have always been more inclined to go to UVA or UNC, and at one time Hopkins. Tillman’s improved it quite a bit but there’s probably never going to be a time where they land a disproportionate percentage.

[jrn19]

With what’s said above about Kelly and McDonald back, here’s what I’ll go with

A: Spanos
A: Kelly
A: S. Ford

Great to hear McDonald and Kelly will be back. Thats a bit of a surprise considering DK played in 4 games as a freshman.

My concern with that attack is that it's got the collective speed of an over-50 beer league team. All talented players though. I think Spencer will add a hugely needed dynamic in front of the net (hopefully he's somewhere near the Dyson Williams/Jake Taylor level which is asking a lot) that will open up the outside for Kelly and Stobaugh. But, there's no dodging in this group so I'd worry that they're not really complementary players.

I don’t disagree, which is why I could see Malever move back if he gets back to something close to his full fitness. But I’m not sure what the fix is on this roster. Even if Bryce Ford comes in, he’s a potential strong dodger but isn’t the fastest.

Erksa has speed but I don’t think it fits best at attack. I think the move is probably just get speed on midfield and initiate from there + with inverts and that frees up the inside and wing and attack for off ball. Spanos will occupy a #1 pole and can ideally do what he did in the Princeton game by floating around, hitting open passers when a slide comes, and being a distributor. Speed will never be his friend, but he is a threat as we saw in that game (the last 3 games he was clearly hobbled with the hammy and was just eating a pole.)

[AreaLax]

It doesn’t seem like tills has been landing enough local recruits from the iac and miaa. Although Florida and Atlanta offer more than capable alternatives. Hopefully this years run will convince a few more 4 and 5 stars to play in college park.

Koras is from Loyola Blakefield
Burlace is from St. Mary’s
Whittier is from GT prep

Next to classes have player’s from BL, McDonogh, Gonzaga, GT prep, CH, and StJ

[FiveZeroEight]

Anyone know how much eligibility Whittier has left? Is it just one year or two? He is someone I could see blossoming into a really important piece with more playing time moving forward. Thought good things seemed to happen when the ball was in his stick during the tournament. Showed some flashes of Kyle Long-esque speed and skip passing ability. If he can improve as a goal scoring threat, I think he could open a lot of opportunities for the offense.

Also, just want to say how impressed I was with Kelly in the tournament. I admit I was down on him earlier in the year when he was struggling to put the ball in the net, but he had an excellent tournament and was a big reason for resurgence of the offense IMO. Seems like a great kid and teammate, too, based on his comments after the game Monday. Glad to see here that he will be back. Hopefully, he can take the confidence he built during this run into next season.

[jrn19]

Anyone know how much eligibility Whittier has left? Is it just one year or two? He is someone I could see blossoming into a really important piece with more playing time moving forward. Thought good things seemed to happen when the ball was in his stick during the tournament. Showed some flashes of Kyle Long-esque speed and skip passing ability. If he can improve as a goal scoring threat, I think he could open a lot of opportunities for the offense.

Also, just want to say how impressed I was with Kelly in the tournament. I admit I was down on him earlier in the year when he was struggling to put the ball in the net, but he had an excellent tournament and was a big reason for resurgence of the offense IMO. Seems like a great kid and teammate, too, based on his comments after the game Monday. Glad to see here that he will be back. Hopefully, he can take the confidence he built during this run into next season.

He redshirted in 2022 so he has 2

[MoralTerpitude]

Redd has a year of eligibility left, unless I’m missing something. Rope unit should be pretty strong.

[jrn19]

Redd has a year of eligibility left, unless I’m missing something. Rope unit should be pretty strong.

He played in 5 games in 2021. A lot of these teams are just backdating injury redshirts at this point; so it's possible he could have another year. Not sure though

[jff97]

Redd has a year of eligibility left, unless I’m missing something. Rope unit should be pretty strong.

He played in 5 games in 2021. A lot of these teams are just backdating injury redshirts at this point; so it's possible he could have another year. Not sure though

It would have to be an injury redshirt. Players whose careers started in the spring of 2021 aren't eligible for COVID years, except in the Ivy League.

[MoralTerpitude]

Redd has a year of eligibility left, unless I’m missing something. Rope unit should be pretty strong.

He played in 5 games in 2021. A lot of these teams are just backdating injury redshirts at this point; so it's possible he could have another year. Not sure though

Thought a player can play a max of 5 games, and still have it considered a redshirt year. Tillman seems to use this tactic quite often, figured he did it on purpose with Redd as well.