No. 7 Maryland men’s lacrosse drops Big Ten opener to No. 19 Michigan, 12-11

Owen Murphy had a chance to tie the game for the Terps with thirty seconds left. The senior had an open shot lined up, but fired it right into the stick of Wolverines goalkeeper Hunter Taylor. The result was secured.

No. 7 Maryland men’s lacrosse dropped its conference opener to No. 19 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, 12-11.

Both sides traded goals to begin the fourth quarter. Daniel Maltz took over for the Terps’ offense with two goals to take the lead. Maltz helped push ahead again later in the frame when he delivered a pass while falling to Ryan Siracusa, who scored.

But Maryland (5-3, 0-1 Big Ten) didn’t have an answer for Michigan’s (6-3, 1-0 Big Ten) Justin Tiernan in the fourth. Tiernan delivered the go-ahead goal on a fastbreak with one minute left. As the senior shot, he was pushed in the back, landing in the restricted zone, allowing the goal to stand.

Braden Erksa and Maltz were each held to one goal in Maryland’s loss to Virginia last Saturday, but both delivered a bounce-back performance in Michigan. Erksa scored two goals on five shots and added an assist while Maltz scored three goals, two in the fourth. But the rest of the Terps’ offense didn’t do enough for the win.

“Just another game with a lot of turnovers,” coach John Tillman said. “We had some failed clears. They did a good job on the face off. … All those things start adding up to more possessions and fewer opportunities for us.”

Michigan took a 2-0 lead behind goals from attackers Tiernan and John Morgan. Tiernan led all Division I players in goals per game (4.00) entering the afternoon and delivered a five-goal performance.

Despite allowing the two early goals, Terps goalkeeper Logan McNaney settled in and recorded four saves in the quarter. McNaney finished the game with 11 saves and 12 goals after allowing 14 goals in last week’s loss.

Maryland’s offense was scoreless until the first quarter’s final minute. A Michigan penalty gave the Terps a man-up opportunity that Maltz took advantage of, scoring inside on a pass from Jack Koras.

Faceoff specialist Luke Wierman lost all four first-quarter faceoffs, aiding in the offensive struggles. But the Wolverines’ seven turnovers prevented them from taking control early. Wierman gained control in the second period, winning five of nine faceoffs.

“I know Luke will come back ready to roll,” Tillman said, “We’re gonna keep working on what we can do to help him on the wings and put him in a better position to be more successful.”

The Maryland offense came alive alongside Wierman in the second quarter, scoring four unanswered goals by four different players. Erksa’s goal put the Terps up 4-3 halfway through the frame.

Ryan Cohen snapped the Terps’ second-quarter run with four minutes left in the half. But Maryland still entered the break with a 6-5 lead after Koras scored with thirty seconds left. Koras started behind the cage and cut inside, receiving a pass from Erksa for the goal.

The Wolverines regained the lead in the third, scoring three goals in the quarter. Midfielder Aidan Mulholland accounted for two of the goals as Michigan led 8-7 entering the fourth. The Wolverines held onto their one-goal lead behind Tiernan’s heroics.

Michigan snapped a two-game losing streak with the win, while the Terps created a losing streak of their own. Maryland continues conference play next weekend, visiting No. 7 Penn State next Sunday.