Maryland men’s lacrosse coach John Tillman hasn’t forgotten his team’s visit to New Haven, Connecticut, last year.

In a Feb. 2016 matchup with Yale, the Terps’ offense faltered, leading to an 8-5 defeat and their second-worst goal output of the season.

Though Tillman claimed he doesn’t believe in “the revenge factor” as he approaches a rematch with the Bulldogs this weekend, he admitted the rare loss sparked a strong desire among his players to improve.

No. 1 Maryland is cherishing the chance to demonstrate its offensive growth Saturday against No. 8 Yale at Maryland Stadium.

“With our guys, if you lose to a team the year before, I do think it gets your attention,” Tillman said. “Because if you’re a competitive guy and you didn’t win, I think [the loss gets] put in your memory bank.”

This season, Maryland hasn’t had an issue finding the back of the net. In three games, the squad has recorded 50 goals, including 19 scores in its most recent contest against High Point. Senior attacking trio Dylan Maltz, Matt Rambo and Colin Heacock have delivered 39 points to power the Terps’ potent offense.

Maryland has been proficient in man-up situations, converting 7-of-10 opportunities. Because multiple members of last year’s power-play lineup returned, there’s a strong cohesiveness within the group that has helped it succeed.

“Having a veteran group out there, we know each other and where we’re going to be all the time,” Rambo said. “It’s really awesome to have [many of the same players] in the [man-up] group again because we were pretty high up percentage-wise last year.”

While veterans lead the unit, freshman midfielder Jared Bernhardt has posted three man-up goals over the past two games. Overall, he’s recorded five goals and two assists.

Tillman said Bernhardt’s innate ability to glide in front of the net and look for the ball makes him lethal when the Terps have an extra body on the field. Plus, his teammates have done a good job dishing to him when he moves without possession, the coach said.

Drifting to open areas is something that comes naturally to Bernhardt, whose older brothers, Jake and Jesse Bernhardt, also played lacrosse at Maryland.

“Sometimes I just get that feeling that I’m not in the right spot,” Bernhardt said. “And then I move to the right place.”

Against Yale, which ranked eighth in the country in scoring defense last season, the Terps know they must value their chances. In particular, Tillman hopes his squad can extend its success in man-up situations to the tilt with the Bulldogs, an opponent that plays “traditionally very strong defense.”

“It’s critical [to score with an extra man],” Tillman said. “You’ve got to maximize those opportunities … Maybe it’s just not clicking for you offensively, but if you can get a couple of man-up goals, that certainly can get you through some of those tough times.”

Maryland’s high-powered attack failed to produce last season against the Bulldogs (1-0), converting just five of its 34 shots.

With that performance in mind, the Terps (3-0) understand a similar showing this weekend could spell another defeat.

“Five goals isn’t going to win this game,” Tillman said. “That’s something we’ve got to take as a teachable moment.”