Niko Amato looked on from the sideline as the final five minutes of his 2013 season ticked off the clock at Byrd Stadium.

The Terrapins men’s lacrosse goalkeeper was pulled from last year’s first-round NCAA tournament game late in the fourth quarter after surrendering 14 goals to Cornell. The Big Red’s scoring output on May 12, 2013, remains the highest any opponent has compiled against Amato during his illustrious five-year career and resulted in a 16-8 loss — the bitter end to what once had been a promising season.

“That was as bad of a loss as we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said fourth-year coach John Tillman.

On Sunday, the Terps learned during the NCAA selection show that they would once again face Cornell at their home stadium in the first round of this year’s national tournament. The rematch is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. Amato, a senior, said he couldn’t wait for a shot at redemption, though he knows nothing will ever erase the disappointment from that fateful day last May.

“Any time we play in Byrd, we respect that opportunity,” Amato said. “So many great players and teams have come before us. For our whole team to go out like that last year was disappointing. It wasn’t a prototypical Terp performance. Even in the fall, we always had that taste. We can’t ever let anyone come into our house and do that to us again.”

Tillman was adamant, however, that the two teams taking the field Saturday are vastly different from last year’s.

The Terps graduated four of their 2013 squad’s top five scorers: midfielders Jake Bernhardt, Kevin Cooper and John Haus and attackman Owen Blye, who combined for 77 goals last year. Not to mention, the team also lost defensive leader Jesse Bernhardt, who returned to College Park this season as an assistant volunteer coach.

The Big Red also lost much of its offensive production from last season. Attackmen Rob Pannell and Steve Mock — who rank second and third, respectively, on the program’s all-time scoring list — both graduated and moved on to careers in Major League Lacrosse with the New York Lizards.

Pannell and Mock combined for 11 points in Cornell’s victory over the Terps.

Even further, coach Ben DeLuca — who led the Big Red to the semifinals last year — was fired in November after the program’s fall season was canceled because of a hazing incident. Assistant coach Matt Kerwick filled in on an interim basis and has remained at the helm for the 2014 season.

“Those guys aren’t here,” Tillman said. “So it is either we win and we keep going or we lose and we’re done.”

Nonetheless, there are players on both sides who experienced that lopsided contest nearly a year ago at Byrd Stadium.

Along with Amato, the Terps’ defensive unit returns long pole Michael Ehrhardt and defenders Goran Murray and Casey Ikeda. Attackman Mike Chanenchuk — who will be a game-time decision Saturday because of an ankle injury — started last year’s matchup as a midfielder. Defender Matt Dunn, a starter this season, came off the bench against the Big Red in 2013, as did starting midfielder Joe LoCascio and defensive midfielder Brian Cooper.

Faceoff specialist Charlie Raffa, who boasts the second-best faceoff win percentage in the nation, also saw time against Cornell last year. He split the Terps’ faceoffs with Curtis Holmes and won 4 of 13 draws, but Big Red specialist Doug Tesoriero bested the duo by winning 15 of 25 faceoffs, collecting 13 ground balls and adding an assist.

Tesoriero, a senior, will be on the field Saturday at Byrd Stadium. He has scored two goals and notched 11 assists this season.

“It’s eerily similar on all levels,” Tillman said. “Our guys realize this is a team that’s more than capable if you don’t take care of business. They can take it to you, which they did last year. They thumped us.”

Amato said the devastating loss stuck with him through the entire offseason. The same is the case for Murray, who said he used the defeat as motivation in the weight room and on the practice field.

Tillman has preached the importance of a strong defense during his four years in College Park, but in last season’s NCAA first round, the Terps allowed 16 goals — an amount Amato termed “unacceptable,” considering the team strives to keep opponents below six scores every game — and lost the ground-ball battle by 14.

But this week, Murray guaranteed his team would not overlook Cornell for the second straight year on Saturday.

“I’m going to do everything possible to not let it happen again,” he said.