Michigan upsets No. 2 Maryland in historic win

As the buzzer sounded, the Michigan men’s lacrosse team erupted off the sideline, storming the field to celebrate their historic performance against No. 2 Maryland. 

On Saturday, the Wolverines (5-4 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) faced the Terrapins (6-3, 1-1) and pulled off an upset, 16-11. This historic win was monumental for the team, marking their first-ever win against Maryland in program history — and their first Big Ten win against a top-five ranked team ever. 

“It feels amazing,” senior attacker Josh Zawada said. “I think it was a massive step for our program, and we kind of got over that edge of finishing those games. I know we played the number one team in the first game of the year and ended up losing by four goals, but we were always in that game and just couldn’t finish it out. So, I think this was a massive step for us because they were the number two team, and we finally closed it out and played a full 60 minutes.”

That full 60 minutes began in the first quarter with the Wolverines starting strong. While the Terrapins scored first, junior attacker Michael Boehm quickly answered, tying the game at one apiece. Maryland scored one more time in the first period before Michigan went on a 5-0 run, finishing the frame with a 6-2 advantage.

However, going into the second quarter, the Terrapins showed signs of a comeback — they were the second-ranked team in the country, after all. 

When Maryland’s offense looped behind the goal and around to the other side to shoot, the Wolverines’ defenders were slow to follow, leaving them open to score. Quickly taking advantage, the Terrapins began to close the gap by capitalizing on those unguarded moments. Heading into halftime, Maryland was only trailing by one point.

But one point was the closest that the Terrapins got to Michigan for the remainder of the game. Through the toughness of their defenders, versatility within their offense and ability to function as a team, the Wolverines only widened the gap.

And that gap only grew as Michigan had a powerful start to the third quarter. Weaving around the defense, senior midfielder Jacob Jackson caught a feed from Boehm and hurled the ball into the back of the net. Less than a minute later, fifth-year midfielder Peter Thompson netted another goal for Michigan before Jackson scored again 30 seconds later. 

These three rapid goals in the first 90 seconds of the quarter propelled Michigan to an early 10-6 lead. Maryland noticeably tightened its defense, making it harder for the Wolverines to find shooting angles; nonetheless, Michigan was undeterred. As the final quarter of the game approached, it led 11-8. And, of those first 11 goals, 6 came from seniors on the team. 

“We sat down with all the seniors on Monday and went through what was going on and how we struggled through games,” Zawada said. “I think it just starts with us and attention to detail from our seniors. It kind of goes through the entire team once the seniors are doing everything right. So, if we have that attention to detail that flows through the entire team, we’ll have success.”

Entering the final 15 minutes of the game, the Wolverines knew it would be close. The Michigan bench and the Terrapin fans alike were buzzing with excitement as the prospect of a win for either team was likely. However, Maryland fans soon became worried as their defense deteriorated, leaving the Wolverines wide open. Unguarded and armed with a powerful shot, Michigan’s offense netted five more goals to the Terrapins’ three, sealing the deal. 

Energized by the win, Michigan is feeding off its newfound confidence and momentum.

“I think it’s all confidence now,” Zawada said. “We’ve seen that once we play a full 60 minutes of our lacrosse and have a good week of practice, we can compete with any team in the country. We’re going to use this game to kind of build up confidence for us and lead it game by game into these next couple of games and get those wins.”

Michigan’s win against Maryland was historic for both the team and the program. As the Wolverines continue on to the remainder of their Big Ten games, they will need to continue playing the brand of lacrosse that led them to victory on Saturday.