The Terrapins men’s lacrosse team has had a tendency to wilt late in games this season.

That changed last night.

The unseeded Terps rallied from a two-goal deficit in the fourth quarter to shock No. 7 seed Lehigh, 10-9, before a record-breaking crowd of 2,278 at the Ulrich Sports Complex.

With the game tied, 9-9, the Terps controlled possession for the game’s final 4:41.

And with six seconds remaining, senior attackman Joe Cummings proved why he’s considered the leader of this Terps team. He dodged past two defenders and laced the game-winner over the shoulder Mountain Hawks goalkeeper Matt Poillon.

The score ruined Lehigh’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and set up a quarterfinals matchup with No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins on Saturday at Navy-Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.

Midfielder Drew Snider’s three goals and attackman Owen Blye’s four assists led the Terps. Attackman Kyle Stiefel paced Lehigh with his first-career hat trick.

“We fought through a lot of adversity,” coach John Tillman said. “We hung in there, we hung in there and we just kept battling. I was really impressed with our grit, our determination and our resiliency.”

With Blye leading the way, the Terps jumped to a commanding lead game’s early stages. The junior notched one goal and four assists, and the Terps held a 6-1 advantage with 5:52 remaining in the second quarter.

Recognizing his team was out of sorts, Mountain Hawks coach Kevin Cassese called a timeout. The Patriot League Champions emerged refocused and confident, scoring three straight goals to cut the deficit to 6-4 entering halftime.

Lehigh (14-3) then rattled off four-straight goals in the third quarter to take an 8-6 lead into the fourth quarter. The Terps (10-5) were shutout in a period for just the second time this season.

Of course, Poillon – who record six third-quarter saves en route to 16 – played a major factor in the Terps’ offensive struggles.

“He was awesome,” Tillman said. “We may not have had our best shooting day, but we may not have had our best shooting day because of him.”

The Terps were able to find the back of the net when it matter most, however. Snider notched his second goal of the fourth quarter with 8:03 remaining to get the Terps within a goal, and the Terps eventually tied it at 9 on Mike Chanenchuk’s goal with 6:42 left.

It all set up Cummings’ decisive goal.

“Joe is a such an unselfish player that he doesn’t mind making the play,” Tillman said. “I think he’s got enough confidence and the ability to make it. But yet he knows it doesn’t have to go through him. And that’s a big part of our success this year. There aren’t any egos in that group.”

letourneau@umdbk.com