High Point and Michigan shed their new program status long ago.
Still, when a pair of teams only a dozen years into their Division I status defeat perennial powers whose excellence in the sport dates to the mid-20th century, the lacrosse community takes notice.
Saturday was one of those days when grit outperformed pedigree.
Michigan had never defeated Maryland before last year. The Wolverines’ early-April win in College Park was the harbinger for a breakthrough campaign that culminated in their first-ever Big Ten title (also over Maryland) and an NCAA tournament first-round upset at Cornell.
Ranked No. 19 in this week’s USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20, Michigan made it three in a row over the eighth-ranked Terps. Lehigh transfer Justin Tiernan scored his fifth goal as he was shoved in the back after a loose ball scramble with 1:13 remaining to lift the Wolverines to a 12-11 win in front of an alumni weekend crowd of 2,570 at U-M Lacrosse Stadium.
Tiernan had also scored 73 seconds earlier to tie the game on a seeing-eye overhand rip that found the upper left corner of the goal through traffic.
“His finishing ability has really transformed our offense,” Michigan coach Kevin Conry said on the Big Ten Network. “Just a storybook ending where he gets the ball at the end off a tough ride from one of our midfielders. He’s been a great addition to our roster. We love him to death.”
A 6-foot-3 righty, Tiernan (37 goals) leads the country averaging more than four goals per game. He had the ball at the end thanks to Maryland killer Michael Boehm, who checked it out of the stick of Terps defenseman Colin Burlace.
It was a close contest throughout. Neither team ever led by more than two goals. Maryland appeared to have the upper hand after three straight goals gave them a 10-9 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Long-stick midfielder AJ Larkin got it going with his first career goal and then attackman Dylan Maltz scored twice off hard-to-handle feeds from attackman Eric Malever behind, including one to beat the shot clock after the pass handcuffed him.
But Michigan won six of nine fourth-quarter faceoffs to keep the pressure on the Terps. We’d probably be talking about Maltz rather than Tiernan, as Maltz continued to dazzle by making a pass from his back that led to Ryan Siracusa’s goal and an 11-10 lead with 3:47 left.
But Justin Wietfeldt (15-for-24) won the next two faceoffs and Tiernan delivered goals on both possessions.
That wasn’t even close to the craziest finish to a game Saturday, however. No, that honor belongs to High Point, which scored the last seven goals to stun No. 15 North Carolina 12-11.
It was the Panthers’ first-ever win over the Tar Heels, and it came courtesy of an absurd behind-the-back to backhand combination between Brayden Mayea and Jack Sawyer for the game-winning goal with 22 seconds remaining.
The sheer moxie of Mayea to flip a pass behind his back into the teeth of the Carolina defense and the trust that Sawyer would catch it speaks volumes of the culture of belief coach Jon Torpey has instilled in High Point since day one.
The Tar Heels managed only five shots in the fourth quarter, none of them on goal. The Panthers, meanwhile, put eight of 12 shots on goal and buried six of them.
High Point was 0-7 against North Carolina coming into Saturday. The Tar Heels were 5.5-goal favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook.
