No. 3-seed Maryland men’s lacrosse entered its first-round matchup in the Big Ten Tournament against No. 6-seed Rutgers with multiple concerns.
The Terps have been inconsistent, particularly on the offensive end, throughout the entire season, and All-Big Ten junior defenseman Ajax Zappitello, who has started in all 12 of his appearances, was out with an injury.
With its Big Ten life on the line, Maryland rode its star players to a comfortable X-X victory over the Scarlet Knights to advance to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Junior attackman Daniel Kelly and freshman attackman Braden Erksa carried the offensive load from the get-go, combing for three goals and five assists in the first half, but it was graduate defenseman Brett Makar who stole the show.