Maryland men’s lacrosse coach John Tillman hoped his players saw what happened to Albany attackman Tehoka Nanticoke last week as a cautionary tale about being careful on social media.

After Nanticoke tagged a stick-stringing company in an Instagram post, his team proactively held him out of Saturday’s game against Cornell, according to the NCAA, which left some uncertainty about his availability for the Great Danes’ game against the Terps this week.

But when the NCAA ruled he didn’t need to sit out, Maryland’s focus shifted from his eligibility to how to deal with the challenges Nanticoke — a dynamic scoring threat with an imposing 6-foot-1, 248-pound frame — brings.

“He’s [obviously got] the physicality: he’s big, he’s strong. But he’s really smart, he’s got great vision [and] he’s got great range,” Tillman said. “He can get leverage and get right to the goal.”

[Read more: Logan Wisnauskas is no longer just a shooter for Maryland men’s lacrosse]

Nanticoke joined Albany as Inside Lacrosse’s No. 1-ranked recruit in the class of 2017. He lived up to that billing with 50 goals and 32 assists as a freshman, often taking advantage of his stature to force his way deep into an opponent’s defense.

Through three games this season, the sophomore has recorded six goals and two assists, with half of that output in each category coming in Albany’s 14-8 loss to UMass on Tuesday, his first game back.

When Maryland visits Albany on Saturday, Nanticoke will look to build off that performance, while also trying to make a larger imprint on the game than he had last season against the Terps.

[Read more: Extra-man misses and failed clears led to Maryland men’s lacrosse’s first loss]

In last season’s matchup, Maryland relied on Bryce Young — an eventual second-team All-American — to be the primary defender on Nanticoke. Young matched Nanticoke’s physicality on several occasions, and held him to one point.

But while Terps kept their top scorer in check, the Great Danes still stormed back in the fourth quarter, scoring five goals to pull off an 11-10 comeback win in College Park.

Aside from a four-goal contribution from attackman Connor Fields, Albany also received a scoring punch from midfielders Jakob Patterson and Kyle McClancy, who combined for seven scores.

After its fourth-quarter collapse a year ago, Maryland is wary of Albany’s other attacking threats aside from Nanticoke, even with the team’s 1-3 record to begin the year.

“They’ve got really good players … Patterson and all their middies,” defender Curtis Corley said. “We just gotta play good team defense this week and really bottle those guys up.”

The Terps typically assign Corley to the opposition’s top offensive option, meaning the senior must defend different styles of offensive players, including agile attackers who can dodge, pinpoint shooters and physical players such as Nanticoke who are capable of backing down a defender.

No matter the matchup, Corley’s teammates believe he can minimize the threat.

“He’s an alpha male,” midfielder Logan Wisnauskas said. “He’s one of the best defenders in the country.”

But the responsibility to defend Nanticoke won’t rest solely on Corley’s shoulders. Tillman stressed the importance of remaining disciplined on slides when Nanticoke draws another defender and cutting off passing lanes when he looks to distribute.

“If not, bad things are going to happen,” Tillman said, “and he’s going to create a lot of leverage and some opportunities that they’re very capable of taking advantage of.”