Three of Maryland men’s lacrosse’s four all-time matchups with Richmond were decided by one goal. A close game seemed plausible in the Terps’ 2025 season-opener.

That certainly wasn’t the case, as No. 6 Maryland got the dominant victory it sought, defeating No. 18 Richmond, 12-7 at SECU Stadium on Saturday.

Both teams opened sloppily, with no shots getting near either goal in the first few minutes. Rust, and potentially nerves, showed.

Then about halfway through the first quarter, attacker Matthew Keegan took a pass from attacker Bryce Ford and drilled a shot towards the bottom left corner of the Spiders’ goal. Goalie Zach Vigue made a valiant effort but couldn’t reach the lightning-quick shot in time.

Logan McNaney’s brilliance, in his first game donning the coveted number 1 jersey, helped consolidate the lead. The graduate student goalie — who’s in his sixth year with the Terps — anticipated the Spiders’ shots with ease and finished with 14 saves. He was especially crucial in the opening quarter as Richmond had two more shot attempts than Maryland.

“Doing what he’s been doing for the 100 years he’s been here… we give him a lot of grief with that. But he’s so poised, never gets rattled,” coach John Tillman said. “He made a couple huge saves for us, which is awesome, but just leading the guys, I think that’s one of the things we’ve asked him to do more this year.”

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Keegan’s passing impact was felt right away. He set up midfielder Zach Whittier for a shot right near the net just before the inaugural quarter ended, extending the Terps’ lead to 2-0.

The Terps put immediate pressure on Richmond in the second. Daniel Kelly scored off an assist pass from fellow attacker Eric Spanos within two minutes. Maryland’s offense got more comfortable as the game went on — passes came more accurately, spacing was more even and players became more patient searching for shots.

Spanos and junior Braden Erksa each played a steady amount behind the cage, helping lead the offensive surge. Going into the game, it was unclear where the Terps’ two leading scorers from 2024 would position.

Ford notched two scores — and Kelly added another — all within a four-minute span. Keegan crushed a cross-field shot into the bottom left corner of the Spiders’ goal a few minutes later, making it a 7-0 Terps lead going into halftime. Richmond looked deflated.

Spiders attacker Aidan O’Neil came wide open near goal about a minute into the second half, drilling the shot to put his team on the board.

But Maryland didn’t let the momentum shift for long.

Five seconds later, faceoff specialist Sean Creter immediately took the ball down the middle of the field and crushed a shot into Richmond’s goal for his first career score. It was an encouraging sign for the Terps, who are adjusting to life without Luke Wierman, their all-time faceoff record holder. Maryland won 13 out of 21 faceoffs.

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“When he put that one to net, I was thrilled, jumping up and down for him,” Kelly said. “He’s been waiting some time to get his opportunity, and I think he did a great job today.”

The teams traded another pair of goals. Then the Spiders marched down the field again and had two great looks by the net, looking to trim the large deficit.

McNaney miraculously saved both attempts with remarkable anticipation, keeping the lead at seven.

Keegan added his third goal with 2:26 left in the third before Erksa notched his first score of the season about a minute later. That gave Maryland an 11-2 lead, spelling further trouble for Richmond — the Terps went 10-2 last season when scoring double-digit goals.

The Spiders finally got going in the fourth quarter, scoring five goals as the Terps got complacent. It wasn’t nearly enough though, as the Terps secured their 32nd straight season-opening win.

Maryland passed its opening test of 2025 with flying colors against an opponent it’s had difficulties with in the past. Its next test will be to win on the road at Loyola.

“We scrimmaged Duke a few weeks ago, it did not go well,” Tillman said. “We had to kind of look at ourselves and make some changes… that’s the beauty of playing on a tough schedule. We were better last week, and I think we were better today.”