View at the top is sweet after toppling powerhouse Northwestern in NCAA lax final
TOWSON — The ascent back to the top of women’s lacrosse was arduous for Maryland. But consider the final daunting leg – a six-goal deficit against five-time defending NCAA champions Northwestern.
That’s the mess the Terrapins found themselves in Sunday at Towson in the NCAA championship game. But motivated by the fear of a blow-out and incited by a pro-Terp crowd of 9,782, the largest to see a woman’s game in the United States, Maryland rallied for perhaps its most satisfying victory in program history, 13-11, halting the Wildcats’ reign and the Terrapins’ nine-year title drought.
It was the record 10th title for Maryland and first under fourth-year coach Cathy Reese, who played four seasons at College Park, during the Terps’ unmatched seven-year title run (1995-2001) under Cindy Timchal.
“This is special for me to bring this title back to Maryland,” said Reese. “I’m so proud of this team, the heart, the fight that they displayed. They showed such great composure and such great poise and really played a great game to fight their way back.”
As the Terps played keep away in the final minute, fans rose to cheer Maryland’s return to the NCAA elite. When it was over, the Terrapins swarmed sophomore goalie Brittany Dipper (7 saves), who recovered after a nervous start.
“First half, we struggled defensively as a team and we were giving up shots, one-on-one, with her looking into the sun,” said Reese. “It seemed like every shot they were taking was going in. We needed to make a change defensively to allow her to succeed.”
After surrendering six goals in the shaky opening 8 minutes, 36 seconds, and falling behind 6-0, Maryland (22-1) rallied. Junior Sarah Mollison (3 goals, 1 assist), freshman Katie Schwarzmann (3 goals), and sophomore Karri Ellen Johnson (3 goals) were the offensive catalysts.
On defense, Maryland held the nation’s leading scorer, Katrina Dowd, to no goals and one assist. Northwestern (20-2) failed to score in pivotal span of 27:33 that bridged the halves. During the stretch, Maryland turned an 8-3 deficit into a 10-8 lead.
“When you play teams like Maryland, you’re not going to put away a team that easy in the first half,” said Northwestern senior Danielle Spencer (2 goals, 5 draw controls). “It’s got to be a full 60 minutes. I think we started to get a little casual when we were up 6-0 and they made us pay. When we would shoot it to the goalie’s stick or made a turnover, they would go down and score.”
On defense, senior Karissa Taylor (2 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers) and freshman reserve Iliana Sanza (5 draw controls, 2 caused turnovers) were key.
“[Sanza] came up with some huge interceptions,” said Reese. “When she went in, we were a little heavier on the defensive side. It allowed our middies to do their thing and catch their breath.”
Schwarzmann triggered the 7-0 run with a free-position shot. Maryland won the ensuing draw and Mollison rolled from behind the goal and scored to make it 8-5. When Mollison tallied off a re-start with 1:08 left in the half, Maryland had crawled all the way out of its hole, 8-8, and fully involving the fans.
“It was tough. There was a lot of red in the stands, but we expected that going into it,” said Spencer. “When it comes down to it, it’s not about how many fans you have, how many people, it’s just about what you’ve got within your team.”
After a scoreless first half, Maryland Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Caitlyn McFadden rebounded with two clutch goals and an assist. Junior Brandi Jones contributed a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes, including a score off a feed from McFadden that put the Terps up for good, 11-10, with 9:51 left.
“We definitely stepped it up defensively,” said McFadden, who was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. “We weren’t really helping each other. We weren’t communicating well. We made a change [inserting Sanza] and it really changed for us the rest of the game.”
The clincher came at the 2:03 mark as Mollison curled from behind the goal, drew the defense, and found Johnson cutting down the middle for a 13-11 lead. Sanza made sure in the final 2 minutes, controlling a draw and making a steal.
“Just have fun,” said Reese, when asked her advice for the Terps. “However this turned out, we wanted to say we left everything on the field, that we gave it everything we had and loved every second of it. These girls can really walk off and say that.”
