Faceoff specialist Charlie Raffa gets checked on a shot during the No. 2 Terps’ 10-6 win over No. 1 Duke on March 1, 2014.

The Terrapins men’s lacrosse team held a six-goal lead at halftime Saturday at Stony Brook when coach John Tillman decided to change his lineup.

Faceoff specialist Charlie Raffa, who has been dealing with a series of injuries since the preseason, was noticeably limping toward the end of the half. So with the game relatively in hand, Tillman replaced Raffa with sophomore Jon Garino Jr. at the faceoff X to start the third quarter.

Garino struggled to get into the flow of the game, though. During a stretch of nearly 20 minutes, he lost five of six faceoffs to opposing specialist Kyle Rowe, prompting a Seawolves comeback that brought them within three goals of the Terps with 10:49 remaining in the contest.

Tillman immediately called a timeout after the Seawolves’ sixth goal and returned Raffa to the faceoff X despite the apparent injury. The junior restored order, winning the ensuing faceoff and three of his final four to prevent a collapse on the road as the Terps escaped with an 11-8 victory in Stony Brook, N.Y., and their undefeated record intact.

“I’m disappointed the fourth quarter went as poorly as it did early,” Tillman said. “But I’m proud of our guys. When things got tight, they could have started pointing the fingers, and they could have panicked. We got a timeout, we took a deep breath, we reorganized. Guys got their bearings again, and we went out and were just able to grind it out.”

Tillman said Raffa was in good enough shape to start the third quarter but that it was important to give Garino — whose one faceoff win came on a Seawolves violation — a chance to show his capabilities.

“If we’re going to give Jon an opportunity, it’s better to throw him in at 8-2 right off of halftime, allowing him to mentally get prepared, get a few reps, get warm versus throwing him just randomly in the third quarter,” Tillman said. “I think this is the time when, if you’re going to try your guys, you’d rather do it now than in a close game and then all of a sudden expect a guy to act like it’s old hat when he’s never really had an opportunity in a close contest.”

Behind a first-half hat trick from midfielder Mike Chanenchuk and two goals from attackman Tim Rotanz — who made his debut after missing the first four games with a lower body injury — the Terps (5-0) carried an 8-2 lead into halftime. But without Raffa in the lineup to start the half, the Seawolves (2-3) started to produce extra possessions with faceoff victories.

Garino lost two of three faceoffs in the third quarter, but the Terps avoided any serious damage in the period because of stingy defense, four of goalkeeper Niko Amato’s nine saves and a timely goal from midfielder Bryan Cole with 9:47 left in the period. They maintained a six-goal advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Garino’s faceoff losses started to take a toll on the Terps during the final 15 minutes of play. Stony Brook midfielders Challen Rogers and Cody Vassallo and attackman Matt Schultz all scored for the Seawolves after faceoff wins in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to trim the Terps’ lead to 9-6.

“They were really pushing the tempo,” Chanenchuk said. “They scored a few good goals and went on a run there, but I think we kept our composure and hampered it well.”

Tillman said the timeout he called after Vassallo’s goal with just less than 11 minutes left in the contest was crucial in calming his team down. Raffa limped back onto the field after the stoppage and his ensuing faceoff win gave the Terps their first quality possession of the quarter.

Schultz added his second goal of the game with 8:24 remaining to bring the Seawolves within two, but Cole and Chanenchuk — who finished with four goals — answered to put the game out of reach down the stretch.

Raffa’s return to the faceoff X helped the Terps halt Stony Brook’s late run, regain control of the game and avoid their first loss of the season.

“It says a lot about the type of athlete and competitor he is,” Tillman said. “He lives for the challenge.”