The Terps celebrate their first goal during their 3-2 win over Princeton to clinch a berth in the national semifinals of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 17, 2013.

Princeton’s bench erupted after forward Allison Evans scored to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead over the Terrapins field hockey team with 33 seconds left in the first period of their NCAA tournament second-round game.

It was the second time the Tigers took the lead, and they looked to ride the momentum into halftime and beyond. But midfielder Jill Witmer responded instantly. She wove through three defenders in Princeton’s circle and unleashed a backhanded shot that hit the left corner of the goal cage with six seconds left before halftime.

Roughly three minutes into the second period, Witmer scored the decisive goal to make it 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex, sealing the Terps’ place in the NCAA semifinals.

“It’s always a team effort,” defender Ali McEvoy said. “I feel that we just had the greatest heart out there.”

The No. 1-seed Terps (22-1) will make their sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA semifinals, and they will play No. 4-seed Duke for the third time this season Friday in Norfolk, Va. The Terps’ place in the semifinals was in jeopardy early in the game, however, as Princeton (14-5) scored two minutes into the game off a penalty corner.

Midfielder Teresa Benvenuti slid the ball to forward Sydney Kirby, whose low drive toward the far corner of the goal cage slid under Terps goalkeeper Natalie Hunter’s outstretched leg. The Terps didn’t trail for long, though, as they pressured to generate offense and score.

“It was really just everyone taking a deep breath and knowing that it was OK,” McEvoy said. “There was a ton of time left, and knowing that we had the complete ability to come back from just one goal, we were just calm and confident that we could do it.”

Three minutes later, midfielder Anna Dessoye deflected McEvoy’s penalty corner strike over Tigers goalkeeper Anya Gersoff and into the roof of the net to tie it at one.

A quick restart from Princeton led to their second goal with 33 seconds left in the half. Evans broke into the circle, and her backhanded shot gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead. Princeton’s lead didn’t last until the whistle, however, as Witmer scored 27 seconds later to make it 2-2 entering halftime.

“It gave us momentum going into half,” McEvoy said. “The way it happened, it was really great to show the grit and show the momentum going into halftime.”

Witmer’s goal marked a turning point in the game, and the team entered the locker room with a focused and even-keeled demeanor that carried over into the second half.

“Trying to stay present and emotionally present is the key,” coach Missy Meharg said. “I think Maryland jumped right on them the minute they scored.”

Witmer scored her 19th goal of the season to give the Terps their first lead of the game, and a solid defensive performance helped seal the win.

Though the Terps were in danger of letting the game slip away after allowing goals early and late in the half, their quick responses prevented Princeton from maintaining momentum. The timing of the Terps’ game-tying goals was key in booking their sixth straight trip to the NCAA semifinals.

“As a coach, when you’re on the flip side of that, that’s not a fun place to be,” Meharg said. “When we went up 3-2, I thought our energy and our dominance after that was a signal that we were in a really good place.”