The University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team has been ranked No. 2 in Inside Lacrosse’s annual Face-Off Yearbook, the publication announced today.
The Terps, who reached the NCAA title game in each of the past two seasons, return 10 of 13 starters from their 2012 team, including all three close defenders, junior Niko Amato, who is a two-year starter in goal, second team All-America long pole Jesse Bernhardt and senior short-stick defensive midfielder Landon Carr.
Maryland’s returning offense is also formidable, as senior Owen Blye is the leading returning goal-scorer with 20 tallies. All-America midfielder John Haus, who finished third on the squad with 33 points on 16 goals and 17 assists, is also back for the Terps, who also feature the return of midfielders Mike Chanenchuk and Kevin Cooper, who combined to score 28 goals and add 23 assists last season. Overall, Maryland returns 61.7 percent of their scoring.
The Terrapins will also benefit from the return of redshirt senior Jake Bernhardt, who missed the entire 2012 season due to an injury suffered during a preseason scrimmage.
Maryland also returns an outstanding pair of face-off specialists in senior Curtis Holmes and sophomore Charlie Raffa.
The Terrapins’ 2013 schedule will feature matchups with seven teams also ranked in the Face-Off Yearbook Top 20, including three of the top five in No. 1 Loyola, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 North Carolina.
Maryland’s No. 2 preseason ranking is its highest since entering the 2009 season with a No. 3 ranking in the Face-Off Yearbook.
2013 Face-Off Yearbook Top 20
1 – Loyola (1)
2 – Maryland (2)
3 – Notre Dame (4)
4 – Duke (3)
5 – North Carolina (5)
6 – Johns Hopkins (7)
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