Maryland men’s lacrosse throttles North Carolina, 15-7, to snap 2-game skid

Maryland men’s lacrosse got some small portion of revenge against North Carolina on Saturday.

The No. 10 Terps took down the No. 14 Tar Heels, 15-7, in a rematch of last year’s National Championship game. North Carolina emerged victorious in last year’s title matchup, but Maryland’s offense was way to much for the Tar Heels to handle on Saturday.

This won’t avenge that championship loss, but it’s a step in the right direction for a team that was coming off a two-game losing streak. A loss to unranked Villanova last week will likely be a low point in the Terps’ season, and this win puts that a little bit in the rear view mirror.

Tim Muller started the scoring with a goal less than two minutes in off an assist from Matt Rambo. UNC’s Luke Goldstock responded with one of his own four minutes later., which spurred a five-goal run for Maryland.

Almost every time North Carolina scored, Maryland was there to respond with multiple goals. The Tar Heels never got it going offensively, until it was too late. They scored three straight goals in the second half to make it 13-6, but the game was too far gone.

Maryland got a goal from Dylan Maltz in the fourth quarter, his third of the day, to halt what would be UNC’s only multiple-goal run of the afternoon. Maltz led all scorers in goals, and led an extremely balanced offense.

Goalkeeper Dan Morris was a stalwart, making 12 saves before Cameron Brosh relieved him late. North Carolina’s two goalkeepers only combined for four saves on 19 shots on goal. Maryland faced 20 shots on goal, but Morris and Brosh stood strong.

After UNC’s Chris Cloutier scored with seven minutes left in the game, Jared Bernhardt tossed in a goal off a Rambo assist to put any chances of a Tar Heel comeback to rest.

Maryland’s in action at home next Saturday against Michigan at 2 p.m.

Three things to know

1. Maryland snapped a two-game losing streak. A loss against No. 2 Notre Dame two weeks ago was understandable, but that Villanova loss came out of nowhere. This gets the Terps back on the right track.
2. This was dominance. At almost no point on Saturday was this a close game. Maryland bolted out to an early lead and didn’t look back, leaving helpless Tar Heels in their wake.
3. A well-rounded offense powered Maryland. Six Terps scored multiple goals, with Maltz the only player to rack up three. This was hard for North Carolina to defend, and coupled with Maryland’s own suffocating defense, it was deadly.