PHILADELPHIA — Luke Wierman scored just once for seventh-seeded Maryland in Saturday’s NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament semifinal. Still, the graduate midfielder was invaluable during a 12-6 triumph over sixth-seeded Virginia at Lincoln Financial Field.
A deeper dive into the box score underscored as much: Wierman won 15 of 22 faceoffs, including 10 of 12 in the first half. That disparity not only provided extra possessions, a handful of which led to goals, but also kept the ball away from Virginia’s prolific graduate attack duo of Connor Shellenberger and Payton Cormier.
The Terrapins (11-5) are headed to Monday’s national championship game against top-seeded Notre Dame, a 13-6 winner against fifth-seeded Denver in Saturday’s other semifinal.