By scoring two goals in the late minutes of Sunday’s match against N.C. State, the Terrapin women’s soccer team pushed the game into overtime and eventually pulled out an improbable win.

For the No. 13 Terps (11-2-2, 3-2-2 ACC) the thrilling finish was almost second nature.

Of their past four games, three have gone to overtime. In all three of those matches, a game-tying goal was scored in the final seven minutes of regulation.

Although the numbers seem startling, coach Brian Pensky believes the overtimes are just part of the ACC’s parity and it was more unusual for the team to coast through the first 11 games without an overtime contest.

“When the conference is filled with such talented teams and so many attacking personalities on these teams, it’s tough to protect a lead,” Pensky said.

Of the three overtime matches, two found the Terps on their heels and giving up a late lead.

Virginia scored its game-tying goal against the Terps in the final second of their Oct. 8 meeting. A week later, Boston College scored its equalizer in the 84th minute.

In terms of finishing games, Pensky believes there is a lot of work to be done.

“We have to earn and gain the confidence to kill games off,” Pensky said. “We have to be compact and have numbers behind the ball and not allow any space for them to play through us.”

In both games, the Terps were in a position to win, but both resulted in a tie. It could have been worse. The Cavaliers and the Eagles sucked out all the Terps’ energy and were driving for the game-winner in the overtime sessions.

But the Terps were resilient. In Sunday’s match against the Wolfpack, their work paid off. This time, they were the ones on the offensive, tying the game with fewer than three minutes remaining.

“I mean, we would prefer no overtime,” forward Ashley Grove said. “But if we got overtime, it’s definitely our time.”

The Terps have yet to lose in overtime, currently holding a 1-0-2 record. But in more than 45 minutes of overtime play, the team has yet to score a goal. N.C. State surrendered an own goal in Sunday’s match.

“It takes a toll on our body,” Grove said. “It was really unexpected [against N.C. State] because we really have a problem scoring in overtime.”

Pensky believes the team just needs to keep plugging away, and the goals will come. Against the Wolfpack, he kept the attack-heavy 3-4-3 formation that scored the two goals in regulation to tie the score. Eight of the 11 players on the field for the Terps had scored a goal this season.

Pensky’s argument that the league’s parity is the source of the close games has merit.

Only four points separate the conference-leader, North Carolina, and the sixth-place team, the Terps. Six conference teams currently have 11 or more wins.

“In the N.C. State game we learned we have enough talent and resilience to get two goals late,” Pensky said. “We can’t rest on our laurels. It’s certainly an area we have to sort out.”

eckard@umdbk.com