The Terrapin women’s lacrosse team is just one win away from the Final Four. But getting past the Elite Eight is easier said than done.

Since winning the NCAA National Championship seven years straight between 1995 and 2001, the Terps have reached the semifinals only once and have lost in the second round four times.

Coach Cathy Reese, a player for the Terps during the streak of national titles, lost in the Elite Eight in each of her first two years as head coach. But after coaching a young Terp team to an undefeated season, she believes the third try could be the charm.

“I’ve been confident in our team all season,” Reese said. “You always get the question, ‘Did you ever expect that you guys would be 20-0 sitting here?’ And the answer is we’re working hard. These players are ready to play. And when they step on the field nothing’s going to hold them back.”

The No. 2-seeded Terps (20-0) will face No. 7 seed Syracuse (14-4) on Saturday at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.

The Terps hold the higher seed and home field advantage, but they know from experience victory isn’t guaranteed. As the No. 3 seed just last season, they were upset by No. 12 seed Duke 9-7 in College Park.

“Coming into this tournament, we are undefeated, but records don’t matter,” midfielder Caitlyn McFadden said. “We’re still going to take every game one game at a time, just like we’ve been doing this whole season.”

The Terps own a perfect 8-0 record against Syracuse all-time, but the teams have not played each other since 2005. And the Orange reached the Final Four last season behind attacker Katie Rowan, who as a senior this year leads the team with 105 points, including 11 points on five goals and six assists in Syracuse’s first round win against Boston University last weekend.

But though the Terp attack has no senior starters, the younger players have stepped up so far this season, combining to create one of the most explosive attacks in the country.

They proved they could handle themselves in the postseason last weekend, outscoring Colgate 15-0 in the first half on the way to a 20-4 first-round win against the Raiders.

“I think especially the first half gives us a lot of confidence,” McFadden said. “It just shows what we can do. And we’ll just use this play that we’ve had going into the next game, especially being able to go hard on the ride and control the ball and shoot well.”

Continuing this game plan, Reese wants to finally get past the Elite Eight and play in next weeks’s Final Four in Towson, Md. But she said she will be proud of her team no matter how deep they go in the tournament because she knows the players give their best effort every game.

“If or when we do get beat this season, it’s not going to be from a lack of heart or hustle,” Reese said. “It’s going to be because we played against a better team. These guys want it.”

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