Adjusting her navy blue wristband anxiously, Terrapin women’s lacrosse midfielder Caitlyn McFadden stood at the red midfield line outside of the center circle, eagerly anticipating the opening draw.

The entire Terps’ team wore the wristband, inscribed with the orange letters “YL” to honor Virginia women’s lacrosse player Yeardley Love, who was murdered last Monday morning.

But after everything that had happened the past week, McFadden was just ready to play the game she loved — much to the dismay of visiting Dartmouth.

The senior burst out of the gate and set the tone early for the No. 1 Terps, scoring the first two goals and adding an assist on the third. In the Terps’ regular season finale, her effort led her team to a commanding 17-6 victory against the No. 10 Big Green.

“It was great to be out on the field and just be with my team,” McFadden said.

Only three minutes after the opening draw, McFadden took a pass at the top of the fan, made a move past her defender and shot the ball toward the bottom of the net for the Terps’ opening score.

After the Big Green responded with a goal of their own to tie the game, the senior went to work again. This time, she worked around the back of the cage and scored from the edge of the crease. When the Dartmouth defense shifted its focus to the midfielder, McFadden found attacker Kristy Black wide open in front of the goal for an easy score.

“Well, she’s Caitlyn. What can we say about her anymore?” coach Cathy Reese said. “She is such a dynamic player, and she wants so badly to do well for this team, and she does.”

It was also McFadden’s last regular season game as a Terp. The team honored her along with eight others at the beginning of the game.

“This game was really special for me,” said McFadden, who graduated from Notre Dame Prep with Love and had known her since the two were in middle school. “We knew Dartmouth was going to come in fighting today, and I think we really stepped it up with intensity from the start.”

After Dartmouth narrowed the deficit to one at 3-2, the Terps (18-1) scored five straight goals, including another two from Black. But the Big Green (11-5), who were fighting for a quality win to clinch an NCAA Tournament bid, scored twice before the half ended to keep their comeback hopes alive.

But just as in the preceding half, the Terps came out with intensity after the opening draw in the second half. Less than three minutes in, attacker Karri Ellen Johnson spun near the goal, fell down but still managed to get a shot off to score.

Just 16 seconds later, McFadden worked at the top of the 12-meter fan and whipped a shot from 20 feet out past Dartmouth goalie Julie Wadland.

The Terps scored eight goals in only 11:35 of the second half, extending their lead to 12. By the time the Big Green scored with 14:50 remaining, Reese had already substituted goalies and McFadden was on the sidelines laughing and joking with her teammates.

The dominating effort put a final stamp on the impressive resumé the Terps have built through the regular season. With the victory, the team notched its ninth win over a team currently ranked in the top 20. The Terps have wins against all but two of the top 10 teams in the nation — No. 2 Northwestern and No. 9 Georgetown, which they have not played.

“I think it was a huge win,” defender Karissa Taylor said. “We’ve drilled it into our heads that every little thing matters. Today, we really put it together.”

Nine different players scored for the Terps on Sunday, but it was McFadden who led the team with her four goals and one assist. The senior also won three draw controls and two ground balls and forced a turnover.

“You’ll see her hustling no matter what’s happening,” Reese said. “She attacked early and often, and that boosted the energy and enthusiasm of our team.”

“I think I was just ready to play today knowing that Dartmouth was going to come out strong today,” McFadden said. “I wanted to lead our team and get the spark going right from the beginning.”

ceckard@umdbk.com