No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse vs. No. 12 Princeton preview — and more

Even in one of its sloppiest performances in some time, No. 2 Maryland men’s lacrosse remained competitive against No. 1 Syracuse. The Terps hung around in the second half of a game that could have easily gotten out of hand.

The Orange had a devastating run, scoring five unanswered goals across the first and second quarters. Maryland hadn’t had much possession to change things, having lost nine of the first 10 faceoffs. However, a pair of scores from Elijah Stobaugh gave the Terps some life heading into the break.

And Tillman made an adjustment that ultimately changed the tide of the game. With Henry Dodge exclusively taking the faceoffs, Maryland won 10 of the next 11 bouts at the X. Those extra possessions allowed the Terps to shrink their deficit to just one goal early in the fourth quarter.

But without dominant efforts from its attacking stars — Leo Johnson, Chris Lyons and Eric Spanos combined for only four goals — Maryland fell short, 11-9. The Terps failed to score over the final 13 minutes and finished with 15 turnovers, five of which came in the final period.

The road ahead doesn’t get much easier, with a pair of ranked opponents looming. That starts with No. 12 Princeton on Saturday. The top-15 clash starts at noon and will air on Big Ten Plus.

No. 12 Princeton Tigers (0-1, 0-0 Ivy League)

2025 record: 13-4, 5-1 Ivy League

With nearly a decade of experience under his belt, head coach Matt Madalon has transformed Princeton into a perennial powerhouse. The Tigers have four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four trip in 2022. He’s built a strong resume in one of the top conferences. 

While Princeton fell short of a national championship last season, an eight-game winning streak culminated in the program’s highest win total since 2009. However, the Tigers crashed out in the quarterfinals after blowing a late lead against No. 6-seed Syracuse.

The departure of Princeton’s leading goalscorer last season, Coulter Mackesy, crippled it in its season opener. The Tigers produced its lowest goal output in three seasons and conceded seven first-quarter goals en route to a 13-7 home loss to No. 10 Penn State.

Players to know

Ryan Croddick, senior goalkeeper, No. 26 — In his first season as the starter, Croddick was exceptional between the pipes. The Ivy League Goalkeeper of the Year finished with the third-most saves (14.2) and the ninth-best save percentage (56.6%) in the nation. Despite facing 23 shots against Penn State on Saturday, Croddick totaled 10 stops.

Nate Kabiri, junior attacker, No. 2 — The Virginia native is Princeton’s do-it-all offensive weapon. Kabiri assumed the facilitator role last season, dishing out a team-high 29 assists. But the All-Ivy League second-teamer is ruthless with his own looks. Kabiri still finished with 32 goals and had a trio of four-goal performances.

Without Mackesy to shoulder some of the scoring load, the pressure will be on Kabiri to run the Tigers’ attack this season. While he scored twice and had an assist in the season opener, Princeton’s supporting cast failed to show up.

Colin Burns, junior attacker, No. 0 — From high school teammates to Princeton, Burns and Kabiri have formed a powerful one-two attacking punch. As part of the Tigers’ third-ranked 2023 recruiting class, Burns has exceeded expectations in his first two seasons. He has totaled 53 goals and 26 assists but is likely to take on an increased role this year.

Strength

Goalscorers. While Princeton doesn’t have many creators outside of Kabiri, it’s got no shortage of attacking options. The Tigers return four of their top five scorers from last season, and each eclipsed 20 goals. Midfielders Chad Palumbo and Tucker Wade had another layer to Princeton’s versatile offense. After a disappointing performance, the Tigers will be fired up on Saturday.

Weakness

Defensive pressure. Princeton found itself in loads of high-scoring games last season amid a strong year from Croddick. That was largely due to defensive lapses. The Tigers allowed 42.7 shots per game, putting Croddick under heavy fire. With so much opposing traffic, Croddick could only do so much.

Three things to watch

1. Faceoff battle. When Princeton’s offense gets in a rhythm, it’s because of Andrew McMeekin. The Tigers’ faceoff specialist has the potential to take over games and keep opponents pinned in their own half. Dodge will need to be sharp early to help Maryland avoid an insurmountable deficit.

2. Recent dominance. The Terps and Princeton have faced each other 50 times, but the all-time series is not close. Maryland has won the previous nine meetings, including a season sweep in 2022 and 2024. With Saturday being the Terps’ first outdoor game, a packed home crowd should give them a much-needed jolt.

3. Complete offensive performance. Even with a 19-goal output in its season opener, Maryland’s offense still hasn’t shown its full potential. The Terps have yet to get Johnson, Lyons, Spanos and Braden Erksa on the same page. If Maryland gets a strong outing from those four, the result should be one that puts it back in the win column.

MILAN (AP) — Alysa Liu probably cared the least of all the women in figure skating at the Milan Cortina Olympics about winning the gold medal.

Maybe that is why she won it.

The 20-year-old with the striped hair, prominent frenulum piercing and carefree attitude never showed any worry or strain when she took the ice for her free skate on Thursday night. Instead, Liu waved up at her friends and family in the stands, grinned throughout her program, and acted as if she was going through just another training session at the Oakland Ice Center back in California.

“My family is out there. My friends are out there. I had to put on a show for them,” Liu said afterward. “When I see other people out there smiling, because I see them in the audience, then I have to smile, too. I have no poker face.”

It was all smiles for her crew after Donna Summer's version of “MacArthur Park” came to a conclusion. Liu earned a score of 226.79 points, sending her surging past silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto and Japanese teammate Ami Nakai, who took bronze.

Liu's coaches, Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali, embraced in a hug, content in knowing that a comeback two years in the making had achieved something incredible: The first women's figure skating gold medal for the U.S. since Sarah Hughes in 2002.

Liu's family members stood and cheered, as did the rest of the crowd inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

No doubt every official at U.S. Figure Skating, and every member of its Olympic team, also felt a surge of joy. Or relief. It had been a frustrating Winter Games on a number of levels, beginning with some controversial ice dance scoring that denied Madison Chock and Evan Bates the gold medal, and continuing right through Ilia Malinin's struggles in his free skate earlier in the week.

The only golden moment until Thursday night had been the team event, when Liu helped the U.S. defend its Olympic title.

“If I had a nickel for every gold medal I have here,” Liu joked, “I would have two!”

That's the kind of "dad joke" only Liu would crack after triumphing on figure skating's grandest stage.

Four years ago, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant was in a much different mental state. Liu had just finished sixth at the Beijing Games as a 16-year-old prodigy, but she might as well have finished last. She was so burned out by figure skating that her prevailing thought after that Olympic free skate was relief that it was over, rather than pride in what she had accomplished.

She was the kid who'd get dropped off at the rink in the morning and picked up at night. Her childhood revolved around practice, and not of her own choosing. When she became the youngest U.S. champion at 13, and defended her title the following year, it only upped the ante among those who saw her following in the footsteps of Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski.

Liu was trying to fit the mold that everyone wanted for her.

So, she quit. Walked away. Abruptly decided to retire after the Beijing Games, leaving all of that mental strain behind her.

For two years, Liu did what she wanted, which had little to do with skating. She went on backpacking trips with friends and began studying psychology at UCLA. She got the frenulum piercing that shows across her front teeth when she smiles. In short, she became her own person, one whose individualism has made her a hero to the alt, emo and punk crowd.

She broke just about every mold for a figure skater.

“I love that Alysa is showing the entire world, and especially our skating world, that there is more than one way to win," said Johnny Weir, the two-time Olympian, who along with Lipinski called her free skate for NBC on Thursday night.

Indeed, when Liu launched a comeback two years ago, she did it her way. She would only spend as much time at the practice rink as she wanted. She would be involved in every decision when it came to designing her programs. She even had a say in her dresses, with her favorite being the glittering gold ensemble that fit the moment so perfectly Thursday night.

“Honestly, it was more than just work, it was experience,” Liu said. "The last time I was skating, it was so rough. I genuinely can’t begin to start on it. It took a lot to get to this point, and studying psychology has really helped. I love psychology.

“All I want in my life is human connection and, damn, now I am connected with a hell of a ton of people.”

That includes women like Tenley Albright, who won Olympic gold at the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Games, and was watching from the crowd on Thursday night. And other U.S. champions, such as Carol Heiss, Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill.

But it's more than that.

It's a connection to everyone who has walked away from something and found their way back. Who cut ties with something they once loved so that they could learn to love it again. And who had to go searching far and wide to discover who they really are.

“I have no idea how I am going to deal with it. I’ll probably wear some wigs when I go outside,” Liu said, when asked how she plans to handle her sudden fame. “I hope with all this attention I can raise awareness about mental health in sports, and mental health more generally. I think my story is very cool. Hopefully, I can inspire some people.”

___

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Ademola Lookman, the new energy with Atletico

Ademola Lookman/@Atletico Madrid

Ademola Lookman has just reached a major milestone in his career by leaving Atalanta Bergamo for Atlético Madrid. The Nigerian wasted no time adapting to Spanish football, quickly establishing himself as a key player for the capital club.

In just five matches with Los Colchoneros, the Super Eagle has scored 3 goals and provided 2 assists—matching the stats he recorded for Atalanta Bergamo in 19 appearances earlier this season.

The club change has clearly unleashed the 28-year-old, whose impact is delighting both Diego Simeone and Atlético Madrid fans. His first goal in the Champions League against Club Brugge is proof he’ll be a real asset for his team in the competition.

Let’s not forget, Lookman was close to signing with Inter Milan last summer, but Atalanta Bergamo blocked the transfer.

Bristol City chief executive Tom Rawcliffe is leaving the club after less than a year in the role.

Rawcliffe only took on the role last summer but is moving back to Nottingham as his wife is expecting their first child.

Chairman Jon Lansdown said: "Following the closure of the January transfer window, Tom openly communicated his desire to head back to the East Midlands at the end of the season.

"Whilst this was disappointing, we fully understand his reasons.

"Given the fast-paced nature of the football industry, we have agreed that it is best for both him and the club to depart now, and he goes with our best wishes."

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