Entering yesterday’s game with Virginia, Terrapins men’s lacrosse coach John Tillman knew his defense wouldn’t be fast enough to prevent the Cavaliers sharpshooters from rifling long-distance shots. Taking away those looks would require aggressive overextension, so Tillman opted to pack his defense in, trusting goalkeeper Niko Amato to watch the ball well and make important saves.

But during the first half of the contest, Tillman’s game plan backfired. Cavaliers midfielders Zed Williams, Ryan Tucker and Rob Emery scored goals on low-sailing shots from at least 12 yards out before the 12-minute mark in the second quarter.

The No. 4 Terps entered halftime trailing by two goals, but their defense locked down in the second half. The game plan didn’t change, and the defense continued to give the No. 8 Cavaliers outside shots, but the Terps’ defenders picked up the speed of their help defense and slides. Plus, Amato made four saves in net and surrendered just one goal to Virginia’s potent offense in the second half.

The adjustments resulted in a dominant second-half performance from the Terps, who outscored the Cavaliers by five goals in the final 30 minutes to earn a 9-6 victory in their final ACC home game at Byrd Stadium.

“We knew they had a lot of talented players and a lot of big-time outside shooters,” defender Matt Dunn said. “We knew we were going to slide to them, but we were a little slow in our recoveries at first. And then we just sped it up. … Everybody played with a little more pep in their step, and we got out to their shooters.”

Besides tightening up defensive rotations, Dunn said the key to the Terps’ defensive success in the second half was adjusting to the tendencies of the Cavaliers’ attacking players. He noted game film shows only so much about opposing players, and stepping on the field provides new challenges that require fine-tuning during the contest.

“As the game goes on, you get more of a feel for playing with them,” Dunn said. “You get to feel the speed of their offense … so you kind of know their tendencies coming off the picks and when they’re going to set them.”

Another crucial aspect of the Terps’ second-half comeback was the play of faceoff specialist Charlie Raffa, who battled long pole Nate Menninger for the majority of the afternoon. Raffa won seven of 10 faceoffs in the first half but gave a couple of possessions away when he rushed to get rid of the ball.

In the second half, Raffa won seven of nine faceoffs but displayed more patience after securing the initial ground ball. As a result, the Terps (8-1, 3-1 ACC) limited the Cavaliers (8-3, 1-2) to nine minutes, 30 seconds of possession in the final two quarters.

“I thought Charlie really settled in and really showed some maturity,” Tillman said. “He took what they gave him, which says a lot.”

The Terps — who committed a season-high 17 turnovers, including 13 in the first half, while rain poured throughout the contest — exploded for four straight goals during the first 10 minutes of the third quarter to build a 7-5 lead they never relinquished. Midfielder Henry West, who made his first start of the season Sunday, capped the stretch with his third goal of the afternoon.

Amato made a save on attackman Mark Cockerton’s shot from point-blank range with 9:32 left in the third quarter to keep the Terps’ run intact.

Cockerton entered the contest with 32 goals, but the Terps held him scoreless, the first time he’s gone without a goal this season. That effort was part of a stifling performance for the Terps, whose defense proved to be the difference in a second-half turnaround.

“I’m really proud of the way they responded at halftime,” Tillman said. “And on a really not-so-great weather day, the guys found a way.”