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No. 4 Virginia looks like a different team since its last loss almost a month ago to No. 3 UNC.

The Cavaliers reversed that result and prevailed 18-16 to hand the Tar Heels (8-2) (1-2 ACC) its second consecutive loss on an afternoon where two of the top three ranked teams in the country fell to conference rivals in the increasingly chaotic ACC.

In a frenetic game that featured 95 shots (UNC 51, UVA 44), Virginia (9-2) (2-2 ACC) made the most of theirs when it counted. The Cavaliers ended the third quarter on four goal run to take a 13-10 lead into the final frame. Petey LaSalla then extended it to 14-10 only 12 twelve seconds into the fourth quarter. The junior faceoff specialist also set a new career high with 26 face-off wins (out of 38) and neutralized UNC’s duo of Zac Tucci (4-of-15) and Andrew Tyeryar (8-of-23).

Virginia senior attackman Ian Laviano had his most prolific game of the season with four goals and two assists and junior midfielder Jeff Conner had a career high four goals. Matt Moore led the Cavaliers with 2 goals and six assists, three of which came during the third quarter run.

The win is bound to cast even more doubt about the hierarchy of the ACC, which entering this weekend boasted four of the top five teams in the country.

“Who’s the team to beat in the ACC?” ESPN announcer Anish Shroff asked analyst and 2006 Tewaaraton Award winner Matt Ward in the waning minutes of the Cavaliers’ win.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Ward replied.

Virginia takes on Duke, the only ACC team the Cavaliers have not yet faced this season, on Thursday in Charlottesville. UNC travels to the Carrier Dome next Saturday to face Syracuse.

No. 9 Army Takes Down No. 12 Loyola

The Black Knights (5-2) ( 2-1 Patriot League) never trailed in the 12-7 win and bounced back from its one goal loss to Lehigh a week prior. Brendan Nichtern, who entered with 19 goals and 19 assists, was held scoreless by the Greyhounds but his linemates more than made up the difference.

Aidan Byrnes scored four goals and Nicholas Edinger had four points on three goals and one assist.

Loyola (5-4) (3-2 PL) scored the final two goals of the first half to cut Army’s lead to 7-4 before the break, but the Black Knights held the Greyhounds scoreless in the third quarter and built a 10-4 lead.

Wyatt Schupler made an impressive 16 saves in the win. More from Patrick Stevens.

Ohio State Sweeps Johns Hopkins

Ohio State used a three goal run to break open a tied game midway through the third quarter and prevailed 14-12 over Johns Hopkins in the second meeting this season between the two program.

Jackson Reid had six points on four goals and two assists to lead the Buckeyes. Jack Myers (3g, 2a) and Ryan Terefenko (3g, 8gb) also made significant contributions.

The Blue Jays, who staged a five goal run spanning between the second and third quarters to erase a 10-5 deficit that the Buckeyes built with a 6-0 run, twice pulled to within two in the fourth quarter after goals from fifth-year senior Cole Williams. Ohio State prevented them from  getting any closer.

Williams led Johns Hopkins with 3 goals and 2 assists and freshman Brendan Grimes registered his first career collegiate hat trick in the loss. Joey Epstein was in the starting lineup at attack for the Blue Jays a week after Peter Milliman’s decision to remove him from it drew scrutiny. Epstein was held scoreless on four shots.

Georgetown Fourth Quarter Rally Puts Away Marquette

Devon Cowan scored six goals for the Golden Eagles, but it was not enough to pull off the upset against No. 11 Georgetown. The Hoyas outscored Marquette 3-0 in the fourth quarter to walk away with a 10-8 win. Marquette entered the final period ahead 8-7 after a three goal run, but TJ Haley assisted Dylan Watson for his fourth goal of the afternoon with 13:37 to play in the fourth.

Fifth-year senior attackman and offensive leader Jake Carraway (4g, 1a) sealed the win with the final two goals of the game.

Drexel Downs No. 13 Delaware

The Dragons handed the Blue Hens their first loss since February 17. Eight players scored for Drexel, including senior attackman Aidan Coll who led the team with five goals and one assist.

Coll’s second goal of the afternoon broke a 4-4 tie and kicked off a 4-0 run that Drexel used to take control of the game.  The Dragons outscored Delaware 5-1 in the second quarter and led 8-4 at halftime. Charlie Kitchen had three goals and two assists in the loss.

Notable

  • No. 2 Maryland overcame 5-0 deficit early against Michigan with a 16-0 run (that’s not a typo) to take down the Wolverines 18-12. Jared Bernhardt and Anthony Demaio each tallied seven points on five goals and two assists, respectively, to help the Terrapins clinched at least a share of the Big 10 title. It’s their fifth conference title in program history

  • Rutgers left no doubt who the second best team in the Big 10 is with a 22-10 win over Penn State (2-6). The Scarlet Knight, who improved to 6-2, had 13 different players registered at least one point. Connor Kirst had seven points on four goals and three assists and his linemates Kieran Mullins and Adam Charalambides each scored five goals. Mac O’Keefe netted two goals in the loss and in doing so is one goal shy of matching Justin Guterding’s NCAA career goals record (212).

  • Towson (4-6) used a 6-0 run that started with less than a minutes remaining in the third quarter to top Fairfield 12-11 and secure the Tigers’ first CAA win of the season. Andrew Milani (2g, 1a) scored the eventual game winner on a behind the back shot off an assist from James Avanzato with 5:50 to play in the fourth. “I felt like I was going to have a heart attack,” Milani said of the final few minutes. “My heart was pounding. We’ve been in close games and didn’t close [them] out, so you’re just hoping that this one we close out.”

NIKE/USL TOP 20 SCORES

No. 2 Maryland 18, Michigan 12
No. 4 Virginia 18, No. 3 North Carolina 16 
No. 5 Notre Dame 13, No. 1 Duke 8
No. 6 Rutgers 22, Penn State 10
No. 7 Denver 17, Villanova 10
No. 9 Army 12, No. 12 Loyola 7
No. 11 Georgetown 10, Marquette 8
Drexel 12, No. 13 Delaware 9

OTHER SCORES

Bellarmine 11, VMI 9
Boston U 14, Colgate 10
Hartford 8, Binghamton 7 
Jacksonville 11, Air Force 5
Merrimack 12, Mount St. Mary’s 11
Robert Morris 15, Cleveland State 7
Saint Joseph’s 13, Hobart 12 (OT)
Quinnipiac 13, Manhattan 12 (2OT)
Vermont 16, UMASS Lowell 5