The last quarterfinal game in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament Sunday afternoon between the top seeded and home standing Maryland Terrapins and the eighth seeded Northwestern Wildcats came with two guarantees. First, it guaranteed one Final Four spot for what would become the lone Big Ten team remaining. Second, it assured that, for the first time in seven seasons, either Northwestern or Maryland would not make a championship weekend appearance.
After a close first half in which they managed to eke out a 6-4 edge, Maryland played as close to a perfect half as even head coach Cathy Reese could demand. Northwestern would score just one goal on six shots while the Terps would open the half on a 9-0 run and never look back turning the Wildcats into pussycats in an unexpectedly one sided 17-5 win.
And still they trailed
The first 15 minutes played much to the Wildcats’ liking and formula. Maryland committed an unforced turnover on the first possession of the game but the Terps defense forced a turnover back that led to a free position goal by Taylor Cummings and a 1-0 Terrapins lead four minutes in.
Northwestern controlled the next 11 minutes scoring twice to take their first and only lead of the game. The second followed another Maryland turnover when, after making her first save, Terps goalie Alex Fitzpatrick overthrew Alice Mercer trying to start a fast break.
Maryland equaled the score after forcing a Wildcats’ turnover on free position shot by Erin Collins. Following the goal, the Terps won the draw for one of only three times in the half. The possession quickly led to another Maryland free position chance when Spring Sanders drew a yellow card when she fouled Cummings. Cummings passed the shot up choosing instead to get a better opportunity for Kristen Lamon just outside the crease.
After another unforced turnover by the Terrapins and another forced turnover by Maryland’s defense, Brooke Griffin became Maryland’s fourth goal scorer of the half coming from behind the goal and the Terps led 4-2.
Attack Brooke Griffin slips one past the goalkeeper during Maryland’s halftime lead over Northwestern during the quarter finals of the NCAA Tournament at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse complex on May 17, 2015.
Photo courtesy of Alexander Jonesi / The Doamondback
Northwestern won the next draw and halved the lead when B1G Freshman of the Year Selena Lasota ran a split dodge and scored her second and last goal of the game.
The Wildcats won yet another draw, they finished the half winning eight of 11, but Fitzpatrick made a big save with just under seven minutes to play but Northwestern had the shot covered. However, B1G Defender of the Year Megan Douty had the Wildcats covered and intercepted a pass. Maryland scored twoce more, first Megan Whittle and then Kelly McPartland to give the Terps a 6-3 lead with 1:51 to play. Maryland had scored six times and used six different players to do so.
Reese gave Cummings a break in the draw circle sending in Deb Milani but the Wildcats continued their domination and gained another possession. They scored with 38 seconds to play and trailed by two at the break.
For the half, Northwestern out shot Maryland 13-7, and had eight draw controls to only three for the Terps. They don’t keep time of possession stats in lacrosse but this is another area the Wildcats controlled the game. Yet still, they trailed.
Utter Domination
I can’t even speak enough to how we came out in the second half. Super proud of how we played defensively,” said Reese afterward. Continuing her mastery of understatement she added, “How on the offensive end we executed everything we were asking of them to a tee in the second half.”
In a blitz of offensive efficiency and explosiveness reminiscent of the 2014 National Champions, the Terps needed just 28 seconds to score the first goal of the half. Over the next seven minutes, Maryland scored six more times and would eventually register nine straight before their defense yielded its lone goal of the second half.
The Terps moved the ball crisply and, as their lead widened, found bigger and bigger gaps to exploit in Northwestern’s defense. One pass in the scoring run from McPartland to Griffin knocked the senior off her feet but, as she so often “just does”, Griffin found a way to ring up a highlight reel score this time while on her back.
By game’s end, seven different Terps had scored and six had assists. The breakdown had seniors Kristen Lamon and Brooke Griffin with four each and fellow senior Erin Collins also adding a hat trick. Cummings and McPartland had a pair and Zoe Stukenberg and Whittle each had a solo. “we have so many powerful players on our offensive end,” Reese said. “Today it showed. Kristen Lamon and Erin Collins totaling seven goals and they don’t do a lot of our scoring on a regular basis.”
Maryland advances to championship weekend for the seventh consecutive season and, in a rematch of the 2014 championship game, will face Syracuse in the semifinal match Friday at PPL Park in Chester, PA. The Terps will be looking to repeat as champions and claim the program’s 13th NCAA title and 13th overall.
As I have written before, the title is Maryland’s for the taking. If the team that came out of the locker room for the second half today is the team that plays the rest of this tournament. The Terps will add another star to their uniforms and another trophy to the trophy case.
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