Midfielder Kevin Cooper was suspended for the Terps’ loss to Virginia on March 31.

Kevin Cooper couldn’t stop smiling as he fielded questions from reporters Friday.

Just minutes earlier, the Terrapins men’s lacrosse team secured a 13-6 win over in-state rival Navy before 5,022 at Byrd Stadium. The junior midfielder’s play was critical throughout, and he came off the bench to tally two first-half assists.

For Cooper, it felt like a long time coming.

The week before, he sat in his apartment with his father and watched the Terps lose, 12-8, to rival Virginia. Suspended for that game after being ejected from a March 24 loss at North Carolina, Cooper wasn’t allowed to join his team against the Cavaliers – not even as a spectator.

“Watching that game from home on TV, just not being able to be on the sidelines and celebrate and be with them through good and bad in the game was just so tough,” said Cooper, who has three goals and eight assists while running on the Terps’ second midfield line this season.

It was a learning experience for Cooper, one he won’t soon forget.

The sanction came after the Crofton native allowed his emotions to get the best of him in the waning moments of an 11-10 loss to the Tar Heels. Shortly after nailing North Carolina midfielder Greg McBride with an illegal body check, Cooper landed several punches to the sophomore’s head.

The altercation left McBride with a bloodied scratch on his left cheek. It left Cooper’s family with a wound far less apparent.

“That definitely took a toll on our family,” said Brian Cooper, Kevin’s younger brother and a starting defender for the Terps. “I know that kind of gave our family a bad name for a minute.”

Kevin Cooper is doing his best to move forward from the incident. He talked with Athletic Director Kevin Anderson after the game. He wrote apologies to Anderson, Associate Athletic Director Jon Palumbo and North Carolina coach Joe Breschi.

And, of course, he talked everything over with coach John Tillman.

“I just said, ‘Listen, you know we talk about this stuff all the time,'” Tillman said. “‘We just need to do a better job with how we respond.'”

So in the weeks that followed, Cooper did his best to be a model teammate.

As the Terps prepared for their matchup with Virginia, he took on the unenviable task of trying to replicate star attackman Steele Stanwick in practice. Then, after serving his suspension, Cooper returned to his midfield slot and put together what Tillman said was one of his best weeks of preparation this season.

The work paid off Friday, as Cooper’s two assists helped the Terps notch their third straight victory over the Midshipmen.

Still, Cooper understands the work isn’t over. He knows that for people to forget what happened in Chapel Hill, he’ll need to continue doing the right thing everywhere he goes for the rest of the year.

“He’s remorseful. He understands,” Tillman said. “I think people that’ll get to know him know that he’s a high character guy and a really good teammate.”

BERNHARDT DECISION LOOMING

It’s been a little more than two months since Jake Bernhardt underwent surgery on his injured left shoulder. And every day that passes, it looks more and more like the senior midfielder won’t suit up at all for the Terps this season.

“It’s not looking good,” Tillman said. “I think it’s pretty unlikely he’ll be back this week, and I think [redshirting] is probably something we’ve got to talk about next week because we’re coming down the stretch. Now we’re looking at four games after Saturday. And now all of a sudden with four games, is it really worth it?”

Bernhardt had surgery Feb. 8 after suffering the injury during a preseason scrimmage at Loyola (Md.), and has yet to appear in a regular-season game. He is a two-year starter with 32 goals and seven assists in his career. He will likely redshirt this season.

The Longwood, Fla., native figured to be valuable as a first-line midfielder, a defensive midfielder and a second faceoff option behind midfielder Curtis Holmes this season. With Bernhardt out, the Terps have relied on Cooper, John Haus, Michael Shakespeare, Drew Snider and Mike Chanenchuk in the midfield. Freshman Charlie Raffa has spelled Holmes on draws.

If Bernhardt redshirts this year, he’ll have the opportunity to share his senior season with his younger brother. Jesse Bernhardt, a junior long pole, is tied for the team-high with 35 groundballs this season.

“When we lost Jake, we lost a lot,” Tillman said. “But some of the other guys have stepped up, which has been great.”

SENIOR NOMINATED

In what could be the first of many honors for the senior captain this season, attackman Joe Cummings was named a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award last week.

The recipient of the award, which focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to stay in school, will be chosen through an online vote that runs through May 14.

Cummings currently leads the Terps in scoring with 27 points (17 goals and 10 assists).

“It’s very humbling to be nominated for that award and to be with the group of names that are a part of that,” Cummings said. “It’s really humbling to have the honor to represent Maryland in such a way.”

letourneau@umdbk.com