BALTIMORE — It’s an unlikely road game for the University of Maryland men's lacrosse team as the better seed in the NCAA Tournament.
"Wherever we’re going to play we’re going to show up and play. So, it doesn’t matter," said Terps attackman Logan Wisnauskas.
The Terps (13-0), the only undefeated team in the nation and No. 3 seed in the tourney, are fresh off their 17-11 first-round victory over Vermont. They travel to No. 6 Notre Dame (8-3) on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The Fighting Irish are hosting the quarterfinals on that side of the bracket.
"Definitely going to be an interesting environment," said Terps defenseman Nick Grill. " I don’t know what Notre Dame’s mindset is but understanding that they get a home game in the quarterfinals is probably pretty cool. We just got to match their intensity because we know they’re going to bring it Sunday."
"You put on the film, it doesn’t take long to realize they are terrific at every position," said Terps Head Coach John Tillman. "They are very experienced at every position."
It’s a sophomore that’s pacing them. Attackman Pat Kavanagh is a Tewaaraton Award Finalist. He’s fourth in the nation with 5.55 points per game and second in the country averaging 3.27 assists per game.
"He’s really good," said Tillman. "He’s as advertised - outstanding skill, ultra competitive, tremendous instincts."
"No. 51 (Kavanagh's uniform number) is going to make plays Sunday and we have just got to be ready for that and once he makes a play just get to the next one and understand that once he makes those plays just limit as many as he can," added Grill.
The Terps haven’t had recent success on the road against the Irish. Maryland has lost its last five games against Notre Dame away from College Park over the past seven years.
"We have struggled out there and obviously we know the challenge in front of us," said Tillman. "It’s going to be a tough game. We’re going to have to play our best game of the year."
If the Terps are able to snap that streak they face a potential semifinal match-up with in-state rival Loyola. The Greyhounds play Duke in the other quarterfinal on that side of the bracket.
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