Led by West Chester native Luke Wierman, Maryland lacrosse is headed to Monday’s championship

Every time Luke Wierman wins a faceoff for Maryland men’s lacrosse, he adds to his program record.

But with each win, the Terrapin from West Chester also gave his team great opportunities to score — which they did a lot in their 12-6 semifinal victory over Virginia in the NCAA Tournament at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday.

Maryland (11-5) advances to Monday’s championship game against top-seeded Notre Dame (15-1), which rolled past Denver, 13-6. The Terrapins, who last won the title in 2022, are seeking their fifth NCAA championship.

“Capitalizing on those opportunities definitely helps,” Wierman said. “It gives confidence to the whole team, confidence in myself and our wings and the chemistry that we had kind of building. I think we just stuck to that game plan that we’ve worked on all week.”

Wierman, playing for the first time on the same field as his beloved Eagles, won five straight draws to start the game, forcing the Cavaliers to swap specialists. He finished 15-of-22 with a game-high 10 ground balls.

“Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of the possession today, and give Luke Wierman credit in that first half where it was really lopsided,” said Virginia coach Lars Tiffany.

But Wierman also showed some versatility.

Maryland attackman Daniel Kelly had just scored his second goal of the day. Wierman won the ensuing faceoff, scooped up the ground ball, split the defense, and fired a dart to the bottom right corner of the cage. It marked his fifth goal of the season and capped a three-goal outburst in 80 seconds that gave the Terrapins a lead they would never surrender.

“He seemed to be locked in and ready to go, so offensively, I think it gives us definitely some confidence,” Maryland coach John Tillman said. “Luke is awesome.”

Wierman also wasn’t the only unusual suspect to get on the score sheet. Colin Burlace, a long pole, went the length of the field to tally his second goal of the season and send the Terps’ bench into a frenzy. He also notched his first career assist.

“Everyone loves Colin, and when you get a goal from somebody that’s a little unlikely, it does go a long way, especially a defensive-type guy,” Tillman said. “So that was definitely a lift. ... In a game like that, it changes your mindset just a tad.”

» READ MORE: West Chester’s Luke Wierman, Maryland’s all-time faceoff ace, chases another national title

Kelly finished with a hat trick, joining Daniel Maltz and Eric Spanos with two apiece as Maryland’s multi-goal scorers.

While Maryland was wearing down the Cavaliers’ defense at one end, it stood tall at the other. Collin Shellenberger, Virginia’s all-time leader in points, scored in the first minute of the game, but the Terrapins shut him down the rest of the way. While Virginia finished with 39 shots, only 15 were on goal.

“It all goes back to this week in practice,” Burlace said. “Our scout guys give us a fantastic look of all of their guys and their looks. So we were able to go in with kind of a sense of we’ve already seen this before. ... Everyone did their job today. We don’t ask anyone to do too much. And that’s what helps us win.”

Maryland also held Virginia’s Payton Cormier, who holds the record for most career goals in Division I, without a point in the first half. Cormier didn’t stay down forever, however, notching an assist in the third quarter and a goal in the fourth.