Inconsistencies plagued Maryland men’s lacrosse for nearly all of its 2024 regular season. A second straight early exit in the NCAA tournament seemed plausible.

But coach John Tillman led a turnaround that took the Terps to the national championship, where they fell to No. 1 Notre Dame.

No. 6 Maryland will look to return to — and win — the momentous game this season. While several key contributors from last year left, multiple impact players return. Tillman also added six transfers as the Terps seek their second national title in four years.

“Our goal is never to reach the national championship; it’s to win the national championship,” fifth-year attacker Daniel Kelly said.

Maryland’s offense, an inconsistent unit that finished fourth in the Big Ten last season in goals per game, will look vastly different. Just four of the Terps’ top 10 scorers in total points return, although their top two point-scorers — junior Braden Erksa and senior Eric Spanos — are back.

[Maryland men’s lacrosse found success in 2024 despite glaring inconsistencies]

It’s unclear how the dynamic duo will be consistently used in the lineup, as each played at multiple spots last season — including behind the cage as the leader of the offense. Erksa spent the majority of the 2024 campaign in that position while Spanos worked mostly as a midfielder. But these roles were swapped ahead of last year’s NCAA tournament — a change that helped spark Maryland’s postseason run.

Tillman improved the unit this offseason, as each of the Terps’ portal additions play either attack or midfield. A pair of graduate students highlight the newcomers.

Midfielder Noah Armitage joined the program after five seasons at Stony Brook, where he recorded 104 points. Jack Dowd, last year’s Division III Outstanding Midfielder of the Year, entered from Salisbury. Both midfielders are over 210 pounds, so they should provide a physical presence for Tillman.

“Having somebody else from another program who’s been in a leadership role come in, it helps us out because they can give us a new perspective on how to lead in certain situations,” Kelly said. “They’re really fun to be around, off the field, in the locker room … we’re super thankful to have them here and wearing our jersey.”

Defensively, Maryland will field a relatively similar lineup to last season. The leader is goalkeeper Logan McNaney, the newest Terp to don their coveted No. 1 jersey after defender Ajax Zappitello graduated last year.

[Notre Dame throttles Maryland men’s lacrosse in NCAA championship, 15-5]

The 2022 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player enters his sixth season with the Terps. He battled inconsistencies last year as he dealt with a hand injury that required surgery after the season. But the graduate student is 46-8 in his career protecting the cage.

While McNaney is returning, former faceoff specialist Luke Wierman graduated. Wierman won a nation-leading 62.9 percent of his faceoffs last season en route to becoming Maryland’s all-time faceoff record holder. Senior Shea Keethler, the former Ohio Player of the Year in high school, is expected to take on a much larger role in his absence.

“He had three years with Luke, got to go against him every day, got to see him prepare, got to see his practice habits, his off the field habits,” Tillman said. “We have high hopes.”

Last year’s campaign ended in a national championship loss — Maryland is looking to return to the big game this season, but this time with a different result.

“If you’re going to think about last year, hopefully it’s motivation to be better, be more consistent,” Tillman said.