In the first quarter of Saturday’s game against No. 11 North Carolina, the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team showed why it is first in the ACC in man-down situations.

The Terps allowed one man-up goal in three penalty situations and scored six even-strength goals to jump ahead of the Tar Heels quickly and hold on for a 14-8 win.

Coach Dave Cottle knew that a quick start would really help out the Terps.

“We didn’t want to give them any good thoughts or feelings,” Cottle said. “We knew that the sooner we made things difficult for them, the better it would be for us.”

Two unassisted goals within a minute of each other from sophomore Jeremy Sieverts and senior Michael Phipps got the Terps going right out of the gate. Then after giving up a goal while senior Ray Megill was penalized for interference, the Terps scored six straight before giving a pair of late goals in the second quarter.

“It was important because when we start out strong, it boosts our confidence, and when we play with confidence, we play great together as a team,” said sophomore Dan Groot, who led the Terps with three goals Saturday.

Freshman goalie Brian Phipps made five saves in the first quarter and finished with 15 saves before giving way to senior Harry Alford in the fourth quarter. “When you have a freshman goalie, the last things that come are communication and clearing the ball,” Cottle said. “Brian has made nine starts now and has really improved between the pipes.”

Alford missed the first seven games of the season with a shoulder injury and is slowly getting back to 100 percent. Saturday was just his second appearance of the season.

The Terps got first-quarter goals from Groot, senior Chris Feifs, freshman Adam Sear and a second goal from Michael Phipps. Senior Thomas Alford and junior Drew Evans each scored in the second quarter to give the Terps an 8-3 lead going into halftime.

Despite being outshot 41-35 and dominated in face-offs 17-7, the Terps’ defense forced 18 Tar Heel turnovers and cleared the ball out of their own zone with great efficiency.

“Our midfielders have had trouble recently with turning the ball over,” Cottle said. “But against UNC they really stepped up by not turning the ball over as much while still being productive offensively.”

Groot scored his second and third goals, Alford got his second goal, and sophomore Danny Gallagher and seniors Max Ritz and Jimmy Borell all scored their first goals in the second half to increase the Terps’ lead to as high as eight goals in the fourth quarter.

But if not for the first quarter, the result may have been a bit different. The Terps proved once again how important it is for them to get out to a quick start. They improved to 4-0 when leading after the first quarter and to 7-0 when leading at halftime.

Contact reporter Kyle Wannen at sports@dbk.umd.edu.