As the Maryland men’s lacrosse team prepared to face No. 1 Penn State at Maryland Stadium on Saturday, coach John Tillman was concerned about faceoffs.

The Nittany Lions entered play with a .667 winning percentage in the X, the best mark in the Big Ten and third-highest rate in the country. Meanwhile the Terps struggled with faceoffs throughout the season, entering the game with a .546 clip.

But No. 8 Maryland, led by specialists Austin Henningsen and Jon Garino, won 20 of 30 draws in its 15-11 win over Penn State.

“The faceoffs … were huge,” Tillman said. “Last week against Ohio State, Penn State did such a good job of controlling the ball and being patient that it really wore down Ohio State. So we were concerned about the same thing.”

[Read more: Maryland men’s lacrosse downs No. 1 Penn State, 15-11, behind an offensive onslaught]

Maryland hoped for improved play from Henningsen against the Nittany Lions to control possession. In previous games against top-caliber opponents, he struggled.

The Preseason Honorable Mention All-American posted a combined .416 faceoff percentage in games against then-No. 11 Navy, then-No. 8 Yale, then-No. 4 Notre Dame and then-No. 14 North Carolina.

So in recent contests, Garino received more playing time in the X. After Henningsen struggled in an upset loss against Villanova, Garino went 15-for-18 on draws. He also won three of four draws against the Tar Heels and eight of 12 against the Wolverines.

Still, Henningsen earned the start against Penn State. He responded with consecutive faceoff victories to begin the game, helping the Terps take a quick advantage.

Following the first faceoff win, midfielder Connor Kelly scored an unassisted goal. Then, after another victory in the X, attackman Matt Rambo gave Maryland a 2-0 lead.

Due to Henningsen’s early faceoff success, Penn State struggled to find a rhythm. The Nittany Lions failed to move the ball past midfield for the first two-and-a-half minutes, setting the tone for the Terps’ dominance.

“[After] winning a lot of faceoffs in the beginning, we just had the ball more and … just having possession time was a huge part of this game,” said Rambo, who tied a career high with four goals.

Though Tillman called Henningsen “terrific,” he leaned on Garino to take faceoffs for much of the second half. The “change of pace” move worked for the Terps, as Garino went 9-for-11 in the X.

Afterward, defensive midfielder Isaiah Davis-Allen credited each player for his role in the strong faceoff performance. He said draws are always “a total team effort” and minimized the meaning behind the mid-game switch.

Maryland’s wing play, an area with which the team struggled earlier in the campaign, boosted Henningsen and Garino. The Terps picked up 34 ground balls to Penn State’s 16, many on loose balls from draws.

Davis-Allen gathered four of those ground balls, contributing to what Tillman labeled “the best wing play we’ve had” this season.

After success in the faceoff X propelled Maryland’s win over the Nittany Lions, the team wanted to downplay the result’s implications. But with a 2-0 start to Big Ten play, the Terps acknowledged the victory over Penn State was crucial to their pursuit of a regular-season title.

After all, the Big Ten slate is short, and each contest has substantial conference championship ramifications.

“You only get five league games,” Tillman said. “So if you drop one, you never know if you’ll get a chance to get the regular-season title.”