Katie Schwarzmann
The Terrapins women’s lacrosse team faced its most difficult challenge of the season today, but was ultimately able to fend off a physical North Carolina squad, 14-13.
After The Terps dominated opponents en route to a 13-0 record to start the season, the No. 2 Tar Heels came into the contest looking to knock off the nation’s top-ranked team, and they almost did.
North Carolina won the ground ball battle, 12-11, the draw control game, 16-13, and outshot the Terps, 32-26. But the Terps ultimately gained control of the only statistic that mattered.
With the Tar Heels employing a face guard on attacker Alex Aust, the Terps turned towards their midfield to handle the heavy lifting on the offensive end. Midfielder Katie Schwarzmann tallied a game-high five goals, and midfielder Taylor Cummings chipped in with four of her own.
North Carolina’s midfield had an impressive game too, though, as three-time reigning ACC Player of the Week Kara Cannizzaro fired three shots past goalkeeper Kasey Howard.
But with fewer than eight minutes remaining, Cannizzaro drilled Terps defender Megan Douty, earning her second yellow card and an ejection.
Even with their leader on the bench, the Tar Heels hung tight with the Terps, cutting the three-goal deficit to one. But as time expired, North Carolina had no choice but to chase down the Terps as they passed the ball around, killing the clock.
The win marks the Terps’ 14th in a row to start the season. With North Carolina out of the way, the squad will move on to an easier stretch of its schedule, which starts against Princeton on Wednesday.
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