UNC men's lacrosse knocks off top-ranked Maryland Terrapins

When the North Carolina men’s lacrosse team took the turf of Kenan Stadium for its alumni game last year, it all ended in a dogpile.

Midfielder R.G. Keenan scored the game-winner in overtime of UNC’s 11-10 win against Johns Hopkins.

But Saturday — in this season’s annual alumni game — UNC kept the drama to a minimum as it took down top-ranked Maryland 11-8 in regulation.

This time, it was goalkeeper Kieran Burke and the UNC defense who found themselves in the center of the team huddle when time expired.

“I think we got a little tired, a little fatigued at times, and that was the possession battle — especially early,” coach Joe Breschi said.

“To win that fourth quarter was something that we were chomping at the bit for. It was exciting.”

Burke recorded 12 saves in the win and UNC’s defense caused eight Terrapin turnovers. Burke said this game was proof to the naysayers that the Tar Heel defense should be taken seriously.

“It’s great because all you hear about UNC defense is that they’re not that great,” he said. “And we’ve been proving them wrong.”

UNC can also feel good about its performance in the final minutes. UNC’s two ACC losses both stemmed from fourth-quarter or overtime goals.

The Tar Heels led by one going into the final 15 minutes against Maryland Saturday and stretched that lead to three in the fourth quarter. Breschi said the team has been working on finishing off games and maintaining leads.

“The coaches have emphasized the importance of possession at the end, especially if you have a one or two-goal lead,” Breschi said. “We were fortunate enough to have a three-goal lead and were able to work the clock a little bit.”

One opportunity arose when the UNC coaches and junior attackman Joey Sankey noticed the Maryland defense pushing UNC’s attack toward the crease.

“Coach (Pat) Myers and coach Breschi came up to me and said, ‘If we get a timer on, just go hard to the cage,’” he said.

Sankey came around the right side of the goal and the Maryland defense pushed. He flew through the crease and into perfect scoring position. He shot one off and it sailed in, increasing UNC’s lead to two .

“You never know how the refs are going to call those plays and today, they were calling pushes,” Sankey said.

Upsetting the best team in the NCAA is big for the Tar Heels, but it’s only the team’s first win in conference play.

“It’s one win in the ACC,” senior Pat Foster said. “We have countless left. Every ACC game counts."

sports@dailytarheel.com