With 11 seconds remaining against North Carolina on Sunday and the game tied, the Maryland women’s lacrosse team had a chance to seal the contest.

After a North Carolina foul on the edge of the arc, midfielder Jen Giles passed from the dead ball inside to attacker Kali Hartshorn, who pivoted and fired a shot that went wide, inches away from breaking the tie and avoiding overtime.

The last time Maryland played an overtime game — in 2018, also against the Tar Heels — it had four days to recover and two home games the following week.

The Terps took Monday off to recover from Sunday’s exhausting contest, but they don’t have the same luxury of preparation they were given last year; Maryland will travel to UMBC and Hofstra in a five-day span. And although they will play two unranked opponents, the Terps will look to maintain the same level of intensity that carried them past then-No. 4 Florida and then-No. 2 North Carolina.

“The energy and the excitement surrounding [those games] takes a lot out of you,” coach Cathy Reese said. “I didn’t play, and I was tired.”

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

Maryland defeated North Carolina in double overtime thanks to a dramatic snipe from attacker Caroline Steele. Despite the strong performance, there were aspects of the Terps’ offense that proved to be pitfalls against the Tar Heels.

The Terps were crushed, 21-7, on draw controls and shot just 23 percent in the last 30 minutes of regulation. Additionally, Giles couldn’t follow up on a strong first half and was held to zero points in the second half.

“Sometimes our offense gets a little stagnant,” Steele said. “We’re like, ‘Who’s going to go to goal?’”

Additionally, the Terps have some areas to address on the defensive side of the field.

They saw a five-goal lead flip to a one-goal deficit thanks to a 7-2 Tar Heels run early in the second half. While Maryland effectively guarded North Carolina’s leading goalscorer, Jamie Ortega, in the first half — holding her to one goal on seven shots — the Terps allowed her to score twice on three shots in the second.

Both goals were scored off of isolation plays, in which the Maryland defender didn’t receive extra help.

“Everyone working together and being checked in every moment,” Giles said. “That’s something we have focused on from the beginning and always will be.”

After a rest day, the Terps spent Tuesday dedicated to film and a lighter practice ahead of Wednesday’s contest.

[Read more: “The best I’ve seen”: Megan Taylor continues to wow in goal for Maryland lacrosse]

While Reese plans to address as many areas of weakness as possible, having an older squad hinders recovery time. Additionally, having a small window to study game film will make fixing mistakes more difficult.

“It’s rehab, rehab, rehab, and get your bodies back into it,” Steele said. “Especially since a lot of our players are seniors.”

Thus, two games against unranked opponents on the road will not be taken lightly for the Terps, especially following such a high-intensity contest against one of the NCAA’s best.

Had Hartshorn’s shot rippled the back of the net on Sunday, Maryland would be looking at a more comfortable situation. Instead, they face a scramble to recover and prepare heading into two games without thousands of fans cheering them on at home.

Despite the complicating factors, the Terps’ mindset will remain the same.

“We need to compete tomorrow at a level that represents the University of Maryland,” Reese said.