The Terps held a four-goal lead but couldn’t seal the deal.
No. 2-seed Maryland women’s lacrosse held top-seeded Northwestern to two goals in the first 37 minutes of the Big Ten Tournament championship game. The Terps took what looked like a commanding four-goal lead and had a chance to pull off an improbable upset victory.
But the Wildcats’ offense woke up in a massive way. After trailing 6-2, Northwestern clawed its way back into the game with five unanswered goals, taking a 7-6 lead. While Kori Edmondson tied the contest for Maryland, attacker Aditi Foster’s second goal pushed the Wildcats back in front with 15 seconds remaining.
However, the Terps had one last chance to tie the game. Edmondson — who had tallied her fifth consecutive hat trick — stood on the eight-meter arc with two seconds left. The junior charged at Northwestern goalie Delaney Sweitzer, but her final shot was deflected.
After returning to the title game for the eighth time in nine years, Maryland couldn’t hand Northwestern its first Big Ten loss of the season, falling 8-7 in heartbreaking fashion.
“We had [Kori] on the eight-meter with two seconds left, and that is 100% who I would put on the eight-meter again with two seconds left in any game we have this season,” head coach Cathy Reese said. “We had that ball, we had an opportunity down there and I would give it to her again and again and again from what we’ve seen from her this season.”
In their prior meeting, Maryland trailed 4-0 through the first three minutes before even touching the ball. This time around, it was the Terps who utilized a fast start to their advantage, opening the scoring in less than three minutes.
The Terps learned from their last game against Northwestern, where they conceded a season-high 16 goals. Maryland’s defense came out with a different intensity, cutting off all the driving lanes to force Northwestern into tough shots from outside.
And when JJ Suriano was frequently called upon, the sophomore rose to the occasion. After her sixth double-digit save outing on Friday, Suriano stepped up once again, limiting the Wildcats to a season-low one first-quarter score and finishing with 11 first-half saves.
“She’s battling, and she’s getting better everyday as she keeps continuing to build confidence,” Reese said. “We’ve seen games this season where she’s been on fire like today. We’ve seen games where we haven’t had many saves. Today was a great day to bring it, that’s for sure.”
That one score came from one of the nation’s best attackers. Northwestern’s Madison Taylor entered the contest with the highest goals per game (5.2) in the nation. After scoring just two past Suriano through their previous 60 minutes, Taylor weaved her way through the defense to tie the game at one just five minutes in.
However, that would be the Wildcats’ only score for over 15 minutes.
The Terps capitalized on their defensive prowess, using lengthy stops to help energize their offensive unit. While Maryland only generated seven shots in the first half, it was ruthless with those looks.
Freshman Shelby Sullivan rebounded from her scoreless performance Friday. Sullivan converted Maryland’s second free position look of the game to hand the Terps an early 2-1 lead.
Kori Edmondson continued to add to her impressive junior campaign with a first-half brace, pushing her season total to 52 goals. The Tewaaraton Award Nominee handled the pressure on both of her free-position chances, tucking her shots past Sweitzer. Edmondson finished with four goals.
Chrisy Thomas — who has remained the Terps’ top facilitator this season — tallied her 95th career assist midway through the second quarter, moving to 10th all-time in program history. Thomas delivered the pass to a cutting Kayla Gilmore, who faked out Sweitzer and nestled the ball into the bottom corner to give Maryland a 5-2 halftime lead.
Edmondson extended the Terps’ advantage to four coming out of the break. But after Northwestern was held scoreless for nearly 20 minutes, one went in, and the floodgates opened. The Wildcats notched three scores in five minutes to trim their deficit to one, 6-5.
And Maryland’s offense went silent, scoring just one goal in the final 22 minutes of the game.
Taylor’s second tally of the game shortly pushed Northwestern in front, 7-6. Edmondson tied the game, but the Terps were outdone by Foster’s second-half brace.
“Northwestern is one of the best teams in the nation, and we just lost with 15 seconds on the clock,” Reese said. “We battled and we know we can compete. When we stick to the game plan, we focus on our execution, we can compete. I think they have a lot to be proud of.”
Three things to know
1. Jordyn Lipkin held scoreless. Lipkin has been a reliable attacking option for the Terps all season long. Entering the game, she had 13 goals in their prior four contests. But the senior was held scoreless for the first time in two weeks, managing just one shot.
2. Draw control unit falters. Maryland’s faceoff unit has been the team’s calling card throughout the ups-and-downs. However, for the third time this season, the Terps lost the draw control battle, winning just seven of 19 draws.
3. Suriano’s efforts weren’t enough. The sophomore netminder was under heavy fire throughout the contest, facing 26 shots on goal. Suriano was up to the task, tying the Big Ten Tournament single-game saves record and shattering her personal record with 18 stops. However, Maryland’s silent offense down the stretch prevented them from lifting their fifth tournament title.