ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany men's lacrosse program welcomes the 2022 national champion and fourth-ranked Maryland Terrapins to Casey Stadium on Saturday for the Great Danes' fourth-straight game at home early in the season.
 
Game Info
March 11, 2023 vs. #4 Maryland (12:00 pm)
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Game Program
Game Notes: UAlbany | Maryland
 
Leading the Pack

• UAlbany is 1-2 at home this season; Maryland is 1-1 on the road
• Jake Piseno ranks second in the country in caused turnovers per game
• UAlbany ranks eighth nationally in clear percentage
• Maryland leads the country in faceoff percentage and ranks second in ground balls won per game
• Maryland ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense

Scouting Maryland
Maryland recorded one of the most prolific seasons in history in 2022, finishing a perfect 18-0 en route to their fourth NCAA title and first since 2017.  Their 18 victories set an NCAA record for most wins in a single season without recording a defeat.  Five Terrapins, Brett Makar, Kyle Long, Logan McNaney, Luke Wierman, and Ajax Zappitello, were named to the 2023 Tewaaraton Watch List, and all five, plus John Geppert, were named Preseason All-Americans.  Maryland has suffered two defeats this year, an upset against Loyola and a triple-overtime thriller against #2 Notre Dame.  Four of Maryland's five opponents so far this season have held top-20 rankings at the time of their games.  Three players have scored 10 or more goals each, led by Daniel Maltz with 10 goals and seven assists for a team-leading 17 points.  UAlbany is 1-6 lifetime against Maryland, with four of the seven matchups featuring both teams holding top-11 rankings.
 
Last Time vs. Maryland
March 12, 2022 | UAlbany traveled south to pay a visit to #1-ranked Maryland for the sixth meeting in the series between the Great Danes and Terrapins.  The game was rescheduled to start two hours earlier than originally intended and was further moved indoors to Maryland's indoor football practice facility to avoid the inclement weather in the forecast.  The Terrapins opened the game on an 11-0 run and never looked back, defeating the Great Danes by a final score of 24-6.  Corey Yunker finished the game with two goals and one assist for UAlbany.
 
Last Time Out
UAlbany played its third-straight game at home, welcoming its longest-tenured non-conference rival, UMass, to Casey Stadium.  UAlbany held a 13-9 edge in the series overall, but had dropped three of the last four.  The Minutemen jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, and held on to win 9-6 in a low-scoring affair, despite three goals from freshman Silas Richmond, and two goals and one assist from TJ Sheehan.
 
Around the America East
Bryant has moved into a tie for first place with UMBC after the Retrievers dropped their first game of the season, 17-11 at Delaware.  Both Bryant and UMBC are now 4-1.  Merrimack also has four wins, with an additional loss over the top two teams.  Binghamton has fallen to 3-2 I fourth place, followed by defending champion Vermont at 2-3.  UAlbany follows Vermont at 1-3, ahead of NJIT 1-4, and UMass Lowell, 0-5.
 
Saturday's America East Games

• Lindenwood at NJIT, 12:00 pm
• Mercer at UMBC, 12:00 pm
• #4 Maryland at UAlbany, 12:00 pm
• Binghamton at Fairfield, 1:00 pm
• Bryant at Air Force, 2:00 pm
• UMass at Vermont, 3:00 pm

Common Opponents

• Syracuse
  • UAlbany: 2/10 at Syracuse, L, 7-20
  • #9 Maryland: 2/18 vs. #16 Syracuse, W, 15-12

Upcoming Milestones

• Program – 388 wins
• Scott Marr – 344 games coached
• Camden Hay – 43 career points
• Tommy Heller – 84 career saves
• Graydon Hogg – 96 career points

Milestones Achieved

• Jake Piseno – 50 caused turnovers (2/18/23 vs. #2 Cornell)
• Scott Marr – 200 wins (2/25/23 vs. Drexel)
• Elijah Gash – 50 ground balls (2/25/23 vs. Drexel)

200
Three games into the 2023 season, his 23rd at the helm, UAlbany men's lacrosse head coach Scott Marr claimed his 200th career victory, 11-7 over visiting Drexel, one of the longest-tenured rivals of the Great Danes under Marr.  Marr becomes the 40th head coach in NCAA Division I history to record 200 wins and, at the time of his 200th win, ranked eighth among active Division I coaches.  Marr has averaged more than nine wins per season in his career, and has led UAlbany to nine America East championship titles. 
 
2023 NCAA Quarterfinals
On October 14, 2020, the NCAA announced among its selections for over 450 championship sites for the 2023-26 seasons that the University at Albany was awarded hosting responsibilities for a quarterfinal bracket in the 2023 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament.  It will be the first time the Great Danes host a quarterfinal, having previously hosted three First Round games, in 2007, 2017, and 2018.  UAlbany's host date is scheduled for May 20, 2023.
 
Picked Second
UAlbany was picked in a tie for second place in the 2023 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, equaling UMBC's points total, 39, with the Retrievers taking one first-place vote.  Two-time defending conference champion Vermont was picked as the unanimous favorite with 49 points and all seven available first-place votes.  Bryant and Merrimack, newcomers to the America East this season, were picked fourth and sixth, respectively, while the final 2022 America East semifinalist, Binghamton, was picked fifth.
 
New Addition
Joey Carino was a late addition to the men's lacrosse roster this season.  Carino was recruited to UAlbany to play quarterback, where he appeared in 17 games over three seasons, passing for three touchdowns and running for three more.  Carino, who played both football and lacrosse at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, N.Y., originally committed to Syracuse to play lacrosse before switching to UAlbany football.  Carino will play in UAlbany's defensive midfield.
 
Schedule Strength
Once again, UAlbany men's lacrosse boasts one of the toughest schedules in the country.  Four of the Great Danes' 14 opponents hold top-10 preseason rankings: #2 Maryland, #4 Cornell, #7 Yale, and #10 Penn.  Three others, Syracuse, Vermont, and UMass, received votes in the preseason media poll.  The Great Danes will host both the 2022 national champion Maryland and the 2022 national runner-up Cornell, and will further host 2022 quarterfinalists Yale and Penn.  Including Vermont, UAlbany has five 2022 NCAA Tournament teams on its schedule.
 
Homecoming
For the first time in program history, the 2023 UAlbany men's lacrosse schedule features a record 10 regular-season home games, all of which will be played at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.  Following their season opener on the road, the Great Danes will play their next five games at home.  Additionally, UAlbany will play four-straight home games leading up to their regular-season finale.  UAlbany has never exceeded eight regular-season home games, but has hosted 10 games at home twice, in 2007 and 2018, including postseason games.  UAlbany went 10-0 each of those seasons at home.  Including the 2023 NCAA quarterfinal round, Casey Stadium is scheduled to host a minimum of 12 Division I men's lacrosse games this season.
 
Team USA
Two former Great Danes, goalkeeper Blaze Riorden and faceoff specialist TD Ierlan, were selected to the 23-member United States Senior National Team roster for the 2023 World Championships in San Diego.  Riorden and Ierlan are the only two players in UAlbany history to have been named America East Defensive Player of the Year.  The 2023 World Championships, which will feature 30 nations, begin June 21 and run through July 1.
 
Extended
On December 12, 2022, the UAlbany Department of Athletics announced that men's lacrosse head coach Scott Marr agreed to a contract extension through the 2026 season.  Marr, enters his 23rd season in 2023, took over as head coach of the Great Danes' men's lacrosse program in 2001.  Since then, he has accumulated 199 victories, including nine America East championships, and appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments, while winning America East Coach of the Year six times.  In 2018, Marr led the Great Danes to the program's first-ever berth into the Final Four.  That same season, UAlbany earned its first-ever #1 ranking in the national media poll, marking the first time in history a Division I-affiliated State University of New York program was ranked #1 in any sport.
 
Lyle Thompson
One of the most prolific players in the history of the sport, Lyle Thompson was named to the Upstate Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame with the Class of 2022.  He won the Tewaaraton Award in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015.  The Great Danes' all-time leading scorer, Thompson holds the NCAA single-season points record, and ranks second in NCAA history with 400 career points and 225 career assists.  During his career at UAlbany, Thompson led the Great Danes to three America East titles and 46 total victories, while making two NCAA quarterfinal appearances.
 
U21 World Championship
Associate Head Coach Merrick Thomson led six active members of the UAlbany men's lacrosse program at the 2022 World Lacrosse Men's U21 World Championship in Ireland over the summer.  Thomson was a member of Canada's staff, overseeing Graydon Hogg.  The Haudenosaunee team saw four Great Danes, Jake Piseno, Keelan Seneca, Jack VanValkenburgh, and Amos Whitcomb, among members of its roster.  Canada won the Silver medal and Haudenosaunee the Bronze.
 
World Games
Former Great Danes Lyle Thompson, Ron John, and Tehoka Nanticoke competed for the Haudenosaunee Men's National Team at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.  Lacrosse at the World Games was played with the sixes format, and featured a field of eight teams.  Additionally, former UAlbany women's player Ivy Santana competed on the Haudenosaunee Women's National Team.
 
New Look
The 2023 season will feature a new-look America East men's lacrosse conference.  Stony Brook departed for the Colonial Athletic Association and Hartford has started its reclassification to Division III.  The America East brought in Bryant as a full member, and Merrimack has a two-year deal to play men's lacrosse in the America East as an associate member.
 
PLL Year Five
The Premier Lacrosse League will once again return to the campus of the University at Albany for their fifth season in 2023.  For the second-straight year, UAlbany will host the league's training camp and opening weekend games.  Four games will be held at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium between June 2 and 4.
 
PLL Year Four
UAlbany once again hosted a weekend during the Premier Lacrosse League's fourth season.  In previous years, UAlbany hosted its weekend towards the middle or end of the summer, but in 2022, UAlbany's spot was moved to opening weekend in addition to the League's training camp.  Five Great Danes appeared in three of the league's four games of opening weekend.  The Whipsnakes defeated the Chaos 9-8 in a rematch of the 2022 final, The Atlas beat the Redwoods 17-11, the Cannons beat the Waterdogs 16-10, and the Chrome defeated the Archer 11-10.  Former Great Danes turned heads during year four once again, with Blaze Riorden and Troy Reh making the league for a third-straight season with Chaos LC.  Previously, Riorden, Reh, and Lyle Thompson were named to the PLL All-Star Game.  Finally, Thompson was named Attackman of the Year, and repeated as Humanitarian of the Year.
 
Next: UAlbany hosts UMass Lowell on March 18 to kick off the America East schedule.