AP Photo/Gail Burton

It was a rough weekend for the University of Maryland’s lacrosse programs.

The men’s team, who played their way into the championship game after defeating #5 Duke in the semifinals 9-4 on Saturday, lost to ACC rival #7 Virginia 9-7 in front of more than 35,000 fans at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore yesterday.

Maryland (13-5) had defeated Virginia (13-5) earlier this season, but the unseeded Terps were stymied by the Cavaliers zone defense and a field temperature that registered well over 100 degrees. While Maryland outshot Virginia 32-26, the Terps turned the ball over 13 times and could not connect with the goal during several opportunistic possessions.

Virginia, on the other hand, controlled the offense with excellent passing as well as with several crucial face-off wins in the second half of the game. Midfielder Colin Briggs, a redshirt junior who was suspended during Virginia’s victory over the University of Denver in the semis, wreaked havoc on the Terps defense with his speedy play, scoring five goals.

It was a back-and-forth battle with numerous ties and lead changes, and despite Maryland clawing all the way back from a 6-3 deficit early in the fourth quarter, Briggs and attacker Nick O’Reilly (four assists) proved to be too much.

Maryland has not won the national championship since 1975, and has now come up short six times since capturing the title 36 years ago. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers collected their fourth national championship in 12 years under head coach Dom Starsia.

As for the women’s team, the top-seeded Terps faced second-ranked Northwestern in a rematch of last year’s national championship game on Sunday. This time, however, the Wildcats went home with the title, avenging their loss from 2010 and denying Maryland its 11th NCAA championship in an 8-7 upset. Last weekend’s win earned Northwestern its sixth title in seven years.