As North Carolina midfielder Olivia Ferrucci cut in front of the crease with 57 seconds remaining Sunday, Maryland women’s lacrosse goalkeeper Megan Taylor instinctively raised her stick and deflected what would’ve been a game-winning point-blank shot.

The save preserved the level scoreline at the end of a second half the Tar Heels had dominated and forced overtime, which attacker Caroline Steele eventually ended with a side-arm snipe in the second period.

As the three-time Big Ten Goaltender of the Year had done countless times before, Taylor kept the Terps in the game. She notched seven second-half saves to keep Maryland’s hopes alive, including two massive stops in the last five minutes to set up the 13-12 golden-goal victory.

“Meg Taylor had a great game,” coach Cathy Reese said. “When she has great games, that normally means great things for the Terps.”

[Read more: No. 3 Maryland women’s lacrosse takes down No. 2 North Carolina in OT thriller, 13-12]

Taylor didn’t have the most composed start to her day. On Maryland’s first possession, she threw an errant pass out of bounds, immediately giving the ball to the dangerous Tar Heel offense.

But she brushed off the mistake quickly.

“She threw the first ball out of bounds and said, ‘I won’t do that again,’” Reese said.

[Read more: Hustle could be the x-factor for No. 3 Maryland women’s lacrosse vs. No. 2 North Carolina]

For most of the first half, Taylor was spectating the Terps’ offensive showcase, in which attacker Kali Hartshorn finished a no-look shot and midfielder Jen Giles completed a hat trick.

Maryland built a five-goal halftime advantage, but North Carolina still forced Taylor into making seven first-half saves. Taylor made back-to-back close-range stops with just over 12 minutes remaining in the opening period, then passed out from the back to start a quick attack that eventually led to a Maryland goal.

She limited the Tar Heels to just 25 percent shooting in the first half.

“When she’s over 50 percent [save percentage],” Reese said, “that’s a great spot for us to be in as a team.”

As North Carolina began to overrun Maryland in the second half — outscoring the Terps 8-3 and taking a momentary lead with 12:47 remaining — Taylor helped prevent the Tar Heels from running away with the game.

The Terps’ defense seemed to be stretched, and the Tar Heels dominated the draw control. Despite an increased volume of shots, Taylor continued to save more than 50 percent of North Carolina’s attempts.

“Everybody just loved being that competitive,” Taylor said. “Being in a game like that is so much fun.”

While she didn’t face a shot in either overtime period, Taylor came up big with time expiring in the first three-minute session. When a loose ball rattled between North Carolina’s Ferrucci and the net, Taylor raced to the edge of her crease and pounced on it to send the game to a second overtime.

Steele needed only 14 seconds after her draw control to slot home the game-winner, but Taylor’s earlier exploits made the attempt possible. As the game spiraled in the second half — Steele briefly left with an injury, Giles took 18 minutes to get a shot off and the Terps couldn’t buy a draw control — Taylor was a constant.

“Megan is phenomenal,” Reese said. “She is, hands down, the best I’ve seen.”