CHESTER, Pennsylvania — Maryland women’s lacrosse defender Alice Mercer said the week leading up to the NCAA tournament semifinals was the favorite of her career.
The Terps finished final exams, so they weren’t stressed with schoolwork. Each day, they went out to lunch and dinner together. On Wednesday, en route to Philadelphia, the Terps had a team meal at Fogo de Chao.
The senior said the atmosphere was light entering the No. 1-seed Terps’ final four matchup with No. 4 Syracuse Friday evening because “we’re playing our highest level of lacrosse right now.”
That midnset was evident in Maryland’s 19-9 win over the Orange at Talen Energy Stadium in the Terps’ eighth consecutive national semifinals appearance. With the victory, the Terps will attempt to win a third straight championship when they face No. 3-seed North Carolina Sunday afternoon.
“Our team came out with a lot of confidence,” said midfielder Taylor Cummings, who scored four goals and won her 500th career draw control. “[The freshmen and other players who didn’t start in the final four last year] did a good job of combating the situation. Emotion can get the best of you and mentality is key.”
In addition to Cummings’ four tallies, attackers Megan Whittle and Taylor Hensh each notched four scores to pace the attack that saw eight players record at least one point.
Mercer, meanwhile, fielded three ground balls and caused three turnovers to anchor the backline against the Orange offense that entered the game averaging 12.71 goals per contest.
From the outset, the Terps showcased an aggressive approach, opening the game on a 6-1 run on six shots. Hensh scored 41 seconds into the contest, and Orange attacker Riley Donahue matched the point about two minutes later. Syracuse could never pull closer.
The Orange tried face-guarding Cummings, Whittle and midfielder Zoe Stukenberg, who managed three scores despite the extra attention, but they couldn’t deny the Terps their fourth straight national championship appearance.
“We wanted to come out firing,” coach Cathy Reese said. “We knew we would see some different looks from them defensively. We were ready for anything we could have seen. They adapted to every situation.”
Donahue scored two of Syracuse’s three first-half goals, but the Terps defense limited the Orange to eight shots in the first 30 minutes. Syracuse earned one free position shot in the frame, but midfielder Erica Bodt’s look landed in goalkeeper Megan Taylor’s stick. The rookie netminder finished with seven saves.
After entering halftime with a 10-3 lead, the Terps (22-0) allowed Syracuse to score two goals in two minutes to start the second period. The Orange also inserted goalkeeper Bri Stahrr for relief in an attempt to slow down Maryland’s up-tempo attack in the final frame.
The Terps responded by tallying nine of the game’s last 13 goals, including Hensh’s fourth tally with about a minute left in the contest.
“It’s a final four game,” Whittle said. “We didn’t want to let up either. It was the semifinals.”
Hensh also notched four scores in the Terps 14-9 victory at Syracuse on March 12, but Mercer said before the re-match the Terps couldn’t reflect on the regular-season triumph because Friday night’s outing was a new game.
The latest result, though, added to the same winning streak. The Terps have posted 22 straight triumphs. Sunday, the Terps will aim to extend the run to 23 victories against the Tar Heels for the opportunity to seal the three-peat with the program’s first undefeated season since 2001.
“There’s nothing more to learn,” Mercer said. “We’re going to go out and play, and you could see that tonight. We all were having a lot of fun. The mood is light.”
