The future of the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team was at Towson University last Saturday as six incoming freshmen showed off their talents in the Under Armour All-American Lacrosse Classic.

Teams were composed of some of the top high-school seniors in the country.

The North squad, which prevailed with a late goal to secure the 13-12 victory over the South, featured future Terp Michael Shakespeare, a midfielder from Walpole, Mass., who registered 166 goals, 60 assists and 414 groundballs in his high school career. Shakespeare, who was invited to try out for the U-19 USA lacrosse team, tallied two assists for the victorious North team.

Shakespeare had five future teammates to contest with Sunday, as the South squad was packed with Terps. Jake Bernhardt, a midfielder from Longwood, Fla., who scored a remarkable 90 goals in his senior season, added two more to his resumé in the Under Armour game, while Baltimore attackman Joe Cummings had a goal and an assist.

“Playing in this game was the highlight of my career,” Bernhardt said. “Being selected to play was an honor.”

“I’ve liked the University of Maryland my whole life,” Cummings said. “Just being recruited was a dream for me. I’m glad to be on a team with a winning attitude.”

The other three Terps represented in the game, Owen Blye, Joey Fontanesi and Grant Oliver, all went scoreless.

The Under Armour All-American game has always previewed talent at the collegiate level. Terps who have played in past games include Grant Catalino, Travis Reed, Ryan Young, Tony Mendes, Brian Farrell, Bryn Holmes, Max Schmidt, Mark White and Brian Phipps.

The new Terps understood the magnitude of playing in the Under Armour All-American game.

“The Under Armour game is as skillful as it gets,” Shakespeare said. “It’s an extremely high-paced game that is similar to college games.”

The Under Armour Girls All-American game was also played Saturday and featured four future Terps: Kristy Black, a midfielder from Glenwood, Md., Grace Gaeng, a midfielder from Bel Air, Md., Liz Hamilton, a defender from Monkton, Md., and Karri Ellen Johnson, a midfielder from Annapolis.

The girls’ game, which preceded the boys’ game had the same outcome, with the North squad beating South 13-12.

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