EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- Maryland men's lacrosse suffered its first loss of the season in the NCAA Championship game as Virginia captured its second consecutive title with a 17-16 win over the Terps at Rentschler Field on Memorial Day Monday. The third-seeded and top-ranked Terps finish the 2021 season at 15-1, having won 17 consecutive games entering the contest. Fourth-seeded Virginia (14-4) also won the 2019 title with 2020's event not being held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a high-scoring game, Virginia outlasted the Terps as the Cavaliers countered each time Maryland made a run. 

With the game tied at 11-11 midway through the third quarter, thanks to three goals by Logan Wisnauskas in the period, Virginia ripped off the final three goals of the third to hold a 14-11 advantage. The Cavaliers scored five consecutive goals bridging the third and fourth quarters to lead 16-11 on the way to the victory. 

The Terps rallied to cut the deficit to 16-15 as Wisnauskas, Daniel Maltz, Bubba Fairman and Anthony DeMaio scored for a four-goal run in 2:15. But Virginia ended the run on Matt Moore's fourth goal of the game with 3:35 left in the fourth, making it 17-15. DeMaio scored with 10.8 seconds left to cut it to 17-16. The Terps' Luke Wierman won the ensuing face-off and raced down the field but goalie Alex Rode made his 12th and biggest save of the game to secure the title. 

Wisnauskas led Maryland with five goals and added an assist for six points. Jared Bernhardt had two goals and three assists for five points. Maltz and DeMaio each scored twice. 

Virginia had four players score multiple goals as they had eight different goal scorers: Connor Shellenberger (four goals, two assists),  Jeff Moore (four goals, two assists), Jeff Connor (three goals) and Payton Cormier (two goals) led the Wahoos. 

Bernhardt, Wisnauskas and defenseman Nick Grill were named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Shellenberger was named the Most Outstanding Player. 


BREAKING DOWN THE GAME

• The teams stood tied at 4-4 after the first quarter as each team had four different goal scorers. The Terps' goals came from the sticks of Daniel Maltz, Jake Long, Logan Wisnauskas and Joshua Coffman. Bernhardt assisted Coffman and Wisnauskas' goals. Virginia won seven of nine face-offs in the opening period. 
• The Cavaliers took an 8-4 lead, reeling off six goals in a row midway through the second quarter until Bernhardt ended the spurt with his 70th goal of the season. 
• Maryland answered Virginia's 6-0 run with three goals in three minutes with two by Bernhardt and a nifty one by Griffin Brown, who held his toes outside the crease to score, cutting the deficit to 8-7 with 5:23 left in the first half. Virginia's Payton Cormier tallied with 25 seconds left, for the halftime score of 9-7, Virginia. 
• Wisnauskas scored three goals in the third quarter as the Terps rallied from down 11-8 to tie the game, 11-11, with 9:11 left in the stanza. Virginia answered back with its own three-goal spurt to lead 14-11 at the end of the third quarter. 
• The Cavaliers scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter for a five-goal run, to lead 16-11. The Terps were held scoreless for a span of 18:58 before Wisnauskas scored his fifth of the game with 6:13 left in the fourth. 
• Maryland rallied to cut the score to 17-16 on an Anthony DeMaio goal with 10.8 left in the fourth quarter, but weren't able to get the equalizer as face-off man Luke Wierman wo the draw and raced down the field but was stopped by goalie Alex Rode.

BERNHARDT'S RECORD BOOK UPDATE

• Bernhardt added to his Maryland records in the Championship Game. 
• With his two goals, he added to his career goals record with 202 and his single-season goals record of 71.
• With his five points, he added to his career points record with 290 and single-season record for points with 99.
• Bernhardt also holds the program record for goals per game in a season with 4.44.
• His points per game mark of 6.19 is second all-time for a single-season (since 1971) behind Boneillo's 6.58 in 1979.
• He also added to his Maryland NCAA Tournament records as he now has the most goals (18) and points (24) in a single Tournament.
• He also has the most goals in an NCAA Tournament career with 33, breaking Frank Urso's record of 32, which had stood since 1976. 
• Bernhardt is second in career NCAA Tournament points as he now has 33 goals and 11 assists for 44 total points in 13 NCAA Tournament games. He is second to only Matt Rambo (62), who had 31 goals and 31 assists from 2014-17. 
• Bernhardt has points and goals in 41 consecutive games, the goals mark is the third-longest streak in the nation. 

WISNAUSKAS ON THE CHARTS

• Wisnauskas scored five goals and now has 144 goals to stand fifth all-time.
• After six points, Wisnauskas stands third in career points at Maryland with 237 points behind only Bernhardt and Matt Rambo (257). 
• Wisnauskas has a point in 58 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in the nation.

NCAA TOURNAMENT NUMBERS

• Maryland was playing in the NCAA Championship Game for the 15th time, third all-time behind Johns Hopkins (18) and Syracuse (16). 
• The Terps previously played in the NCAA Championship in: 1971, 1973 (Champions), 1974, 1975 (Champions), 1976, 1979, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 (Champions), 2021.
• Since John Tillman was hired by the Terps prior to the 2011 season, the Terps have played in the most NCAA Finals, appearing in six of the 10 held events. 
• Tillman now has 24 career wins in the NCAA Tournament, seventh-most in NCAA history and is 24-9. Tillman is now 18-6 since the 2014 in the NCAA Tournament. 
• Maryland, which is playing in its 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament, the longest active streak in the nation, now has an all-time record of 66-40 (.623). The Terps' wins are the second-most in NCAA Tournament history, to only Johns Hopkins (71).
• Maryland played in its 43rd overall NCAA Tournament, second-most of any program in history, Johns Hopkins (47).