When the Maryland women’s lacrosse team topped Penn State to win the Big Ten regular-season title last April, coach Cathy Reese was surprised at the elaborate celebration afterward.
So Reese wanted her No. 1 Terps to use last year’s memories as motivation entering their final regular-season clash with No. 11 Penn State on Thursday night.
“It’s something I think our girls can be fired up about,” Reese said earlier this week. “The Big Ten puts a real emphasis on regular-season championships.”
But until about the final four minutes of their 10-9 win over the Nittany Lions, the Terps’ chances for another celebration were in jeopardy. The Terps defense, which ranks fourth nationally, allowed nine goals for the first time since the beginning of April and Penn State held a lead with less than 10 minutes remaining.
But the Terps’ top-ranked offense prevailed in the waning minutes of Thursday’s contest to help the team claim the outright conference championship and an unblemished regular season.
“Early in the first half, we were a little sloppy trying to connect passes and dropping balls,” Reese said. “This group continued to fight it out, no matter the circumstance.”
With about four minutes remaining in regulation, attacker Caroline Wannen fielded a pass behind the goal. After a pair of stick fakes, she positioned herself in front of the cage.
Earlier this year, Reese said she wanted to see Wannen not be afraid to drive and score. On Thursday night, the junior wasn’t.
Wannen’s shot, which landed in the lower right side of the goal, pushed the Terps ahead, 9-8.
“She had two pipes right before that,” defender Alice Mercer said. “That was the spark that we needed.”
The Terps struggled to pull away from the Nittany Lions for the majority of the night, though.
Reese’s team opened the game on a 3-0 run, but Penn State finished the first half on a 3-1 run. Still, the Terps led 6-5 after midfielder Caroline Steele, who led the team in scoring at the Penn State Lacrosse Field, recorded a first-period hat trick for the second consecutive week.
“[Penn State] was tough, and a lot of our shots tonight didn’t fall,” Wannen said. “We had a couple of pipes along the way. It was a little frustrating in that regard.”
The Nittany Lions out-shot Maryland, 27-26.
About seven minutes into the second half, Penn State attacker Katie O’Donnell made it a 7-6 contest to push momentum in the Nittany Lions’ favor.
About 12 minutes later, Penn State midfielder Madison Cyr gave her team an 8-7 advantage. For the first time since April 6 against Johns Hopkins, the Terps trailed in the second half.
“Every timeout, Cathy settled us down,” Wannen said. “She told us to keep shooting, even though our shots weren’t falling. Eventually, a couple went in, and we came away with a win.”
Despite Penn State goalkeeper Emi Smith’s 10-save performance, the Terps offense capitalized on late opportunities, scoring three goals in the final seven minutes.
“We really had to gut that one out,” Reese said. “This group just continued to fight it out no matter what the circumstance. I think that’s a huge credit to all those girls out there on the field and our sideline as well.”
For the second time in two years, the Terps celebrated with a trophy after downing Penn State.
“For us last year, it was kind of shocking,” Mercer said. “This year, we were really able to embrace it. Tonight showed how our team can fight from behind and come together.”
