Maryland Wins 2nd Straight NCAA Women's Lacrosse Title
CHESTER, Pa. (AP) -- Taylor Cummings and Megan Whittle led Maryland to its second straight NCAA women's lacrosse title and record-extending 12th overall, each scoring three goals in the Terrapins' 9-8 comeback victory over North Carolina on Sunday night.
Top-ranked Maryland (21-1) overcame a three-goal halftime deficit, the largest halftime deficit ever for a winning team in the NCAA title game.
Cummings and Whittle scored four of Maryland's six second-half goals.
Cummings finished with five points and dominated on draws, controlling six herself -- four in the second half -- to allow Maryland to dominate possession. She set up Brooke Griffin for a goal to cut the Tar Heels' lead to 6-5 at the 7:24 mark of the second half and scored the tying goal on pretty pass from Whittle a few minutes later.
With Cummings dominating in the faceoff circle, Whittle put the Terps ahead for good with consecutive goals. After Maria McCool scored her second goal of the game for North Carolina (18-4) to cut Maryland's lead back to one, Cummings finished off her hat trick.
Maryland avenged a double-overtime loss to North Carolina in the 2013 title game.
North Carolina pulled within a goal with a little more than 3 minutes remaining when Maggie Bill scored her third goal of the game, but the next draw never took place as possession was awarded to Maryland after North Carolina tried to make a late substitution. Despite efforts by Tar Heels coach Jenny Levy to call timeout, the officials instead awarded Maryland possession.
North Carolina dominated the first half.
The Tar Heels scored the first two goals rather quickly, with Bill notching the opening goal just 15 seconds into the match, scoring a free-position goal on the game's first shot.
Two possessions later, Sam McGee sneaked out from behind the net and took a pass from Bill and deposited it into the net.
Maryland recovered to score three straight goals to take the lead.
Whittle and Cummings drew the Terps even and Erin Collins took a pass from Cummings and snapped it past goalie Caylee Waters to make it 3-2.
Waters thwarted two free-position shots from the Terrapins, stopping both Zoe Stukenberg and Collins from in close. But perhaps the biggest missed opportunity from Maryland came on a failed attempt during a breakaway with Waters caught in the midfield after advancing the ball and losing it out of bounds. However a pass from Griffin to Cummings was just out of reach, allowing the Tar Heels to doge a major chance.
Bill tied it and Aly Messinger put the Heels ahead to stay with a free-position marker.
Marie McCool took a pass from Bill, ducked a check and scored over the top of Maryland goalie Alex Fitzpatrick to make it 5-3 before Sydney Holman scored on a frantic final play of the half with 3.4 seconds to go to give North Carolina a three-goal lead at intermission.
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