Maryland finishes unbeaten, wins 13th women's lacrosse national championship
Source: The Washington Post
By Roman Stubbs May 28 at 1:34 PM
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Maryland freshman Kali Hartshorn made history right away in Sundays national championship game against Boston College, scoring a goal just 10 seconds in. But while that was the fastest score ever in a title game and hinted that Maryland might make quick work of the Eagles, nothing came easily the rest of the day.
After it was finally over and Maryland had survived with a 16-13 victory to capture its third national championship in four years, it could relish that fact that it was hard-earned. Maryland was tested in every way, watching a five-goal lead in the second half nearly dissolve at Gillette Stadium, where thousands of Boston College fans had made the short trip to watch the unseeded Eagles make their first title game appearance.
But Maryland (23-0) restored order with its record 13th NCAA title by using the postseason resolve it had built throughout the past month, which included a come-from-behind, one-goal victory in the quarterfinals against Stony Brook last week. Even after it had blitzed Penn State with a 20-10 win in the semifinals on Friday night, Maryland knew it had a formidable challenge in facing another familiar opponent on Sunday in Boston College, which had lost to the Terrapins earlier this season in College Park.
Maryland held a 5-2 lead early on Sunday, but went the final 16:11 without scoring in the first half. After Boston College (17-7) scored three consecutive goals to tie the game at five before halftime, Maryland responded with five straight goals to open the second half. That included two consecutive scores apiece from Caroline Steele and fellow sophomore Jen Giles to spot Maryland a 10-5 lead. Steele tied a championship game record with six goals, scoring three in each half. Kenzie Kent led Boston College with five goals and five assists, which also tied a championship-game record.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/maryland-finishes-unbeaten-wins-13th-womens-lacrosse-national-championship/2017/05/28/0e8a6088-43ca-11e7-bcde-624ad94170ab_story.html