Maryland overcomes slow start in 13-12 win
Terps erase early four-goal deficit to beat Stony Brook, move to 9th final four in row
COLLEGE PARK — Maryland’s women’s lacrosse team hadn’t trailed by four goals all season, so the Terps’ shoulders seemed to slump a little when Stony Brook took that big of a lead midway through the second half of Saturday’s NCAA quarterfinal.
Coach Cathy Reese called a timeout to energize her top-seeded team. The Terps responded with two goals in the next 41 seconds to spark a 6-1 finishing run that gave Maryland a 13-12 victory and their ninth straight trip to the final four.
“Cathy’s message in timeouts is pretty consistent in that she just kind of challenges us to be better, to be our best, to be the best version of ourselves and to be confident that we can do it,” Terps senior co-captain Zoe Stukenberg said.
The rest of the way, the Terps (21-0) were confident. They controlled the draws and started creating openings in the Seawolves tight physical backer-zone defense so that four of their final six goals were assisted.
Taylor Hensh, a prime target with her ability to create space inside, scored the game-winner and gave Maryland its first lead of the game on a pass from Stukenberg, her former Marriotts Ridge teammate, with 2:14 left.
Kali Hartshorn controlled the next draw for Maryland and Jen Giles (Mount Hebron) took a free-position shot with 1:06 to go. Seawolves goalie Anna Tesoriero made her 13th save of the game, but Caroline Steele (Severn) grabbed the rebound and the Terps ran out the clock.
Ten Terps seniors finished their careers undefeated on their home field, Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.
Maryland, aiming for its 14th national championship and its third in four years, advances to meet the winner of Sunday’s NCAA quarterfinal game between No. 4 seed Penn State and No. 5 seed Princeton in the national semifinals Friday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The other half of the bracket features two unseeded teams making their first trips to the final four — Navy, which upset defending champion North Carolina, and Boston College.
Stony Brook, ranked No. 4 but seeded eighth, almost made it three first-timers as they ran up a 5-1 lead in less than 15 minutes.
Kylie Ohlmiller, a Tewaaraton Award finalist who holds the Division I singleseason points record, had two goals in the run and finished with seven points, including four assists. She broke the NCAA single-season assists record with her second assist and finished with 86.
While Stony Brook netted five of its first seven shots, the Terps attack struggled. They shot just 13-for-33 and were 2-for-11 on free-position attempts.
Stony Brook (20-2) showed why its physical backer-zone defense is the nation’s stingiest, allowing just seven goals per game. The Seawolves seemed to fill the arc and they cut off most of the passing lanes, making Maryland work for everything it got.
Hensh, however, found a way to create space in that zone and scored three times in the final 14:33.
“We switched the way we were attacking and ... I was just cutting harder,” Hensh said, “probably harder than I was in the first half, and ... I just ran right by them. I was able to get them on my back and Jen and Zoe were able to see me open and I was able to just finish today. It was great.”
Stukenberg, a Tewaaraton finalist who led the Terps with three goals and three assists, including a buzzer-beating goal just before the half, said the Seawolves defenders were big, aggressive and active with their sticks.
“The way Jen Giles was just attacking the zone, making them respect her as a dodger, opened up Taylor and other people cutting inside,” she said.
For the Terps, it was the biggest rally in quite some time. The last time they trailed by four was to North Carolina in last year’s 13-7 national championship game loss.
“I think it’s huge,” Reese said of the comeback. “That’s what makes me emotional about it, because we haven’t been in this situation too much . ... They kept going, one play, the next draw, the next play and I think for us, we’ve emphasized this year the whole importance of team and doing it together and when one of us is struggling, somebody else is there to pick them up and that was something you saw today” Video: Goals: SB--K.Ohlmiller 3, T.Ohlmiller 4; Van Dyke 2, Kennedy, DiSalvo, McCarthy, Yevoli; M--Stukenberg 3, Hensh 3, Giles 2, Wannen, Whittle, Steele, Hartshorn, Griffin. Assists: SB--K.Ohlmiller 4, DiSalvo, Kennedy; M-Stukenberg 2, Giles 2, Hensh, Steele, Wannen, Whittle. Saves: SB--Tesoriero 13; M--Taylor 7.