Photo by Rose Fernandes/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.
Maryland women’s lacrosse looked like it might do the impossible.
With nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Maryland erased a four-goal deficit to force overtime against Northwestern. But the Terps’ comeback hopes fell short.
Northwestern’s Annabel Child ripped a bounce shot into the net just before overtime expired, resulting in an 8-7 loss for Maryland in the Big Ten championship. The loss marks the second straight season the Terps fell short in the conference finals.
For most of the game, No. 2 Maryland (16-3) struggled to beat No. 3 Northwestern’s (15-3) pressure on clear attempts. Those struggles were most apparent during the second quarter as the Terps converted on just four of nine clear attempts.
Several of the failed clears resulted in chances for Madison Taylor — the nation’s second leading goal-scorer. Despite the second-quarter struggles, Northwestern never scored.
A big reason for that was the play of goalkeeper JJ Suriano. The junior thrived in last season’s Big Ten championship, making a career-best 18 saves. Sunday was no different.
Suriano once again thrived against the Wildcats, making 12 saves and limiting Taylor to just one goal on 12 shots.
When Suriano was not thwarting shots from No. 1-seeded Northwestern, Maryland’s defense was equally disruptive. The Terps were aggressive throughout most of the game on defense, pestering the Wildcats’ shooters and generating 14 turnovers throughout the game.
The combination of Maryland’s strong defense and another quality performance from Suriano resulted in Northwestern scoring just three first-half goals.
But the failed clears hindered Maryland’s offense. The extra possessions for Northwestern prevented Maryland from establishing any rhythm. When the Terps did get the ball into Northwestern’s attacking end, it was often stopped by goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco.
The Drexel transfer was stout in goal, limiting No. 3-seeded Maryland to just one first-half goal and stopping 18 shots — the most in a single game in Northwestern history.
The third quarter followed a similar pattern, as failed clears and continued strong play by Cuocco allowed the Wildcats to build a 6-3 lead.
But in the fourth quarter, Maryland’s offense emerged. The Terps began varying their shot placement more often and capitalized on a player-up advantage, allowing them to score on four of their final five shots of regulation and force overtime.
But the Terps’ comeback chances fell short in overtime. Maryland had an opportunity to win the game, but Cuocco denied on a pair of point-blank opportunities. On the ensuing possession, Child flung her third goal of the game past Suriano to secure the game-winner for Northwestern.
Maryland will now look to Selection Sunday on May 3 and await its next opponent.
