With just under two minutes remaining in regulation in the Maryland women’s lacrosse team’s 10-9 win over Penn State on Thursday night, Nittany Lions attacker Steph Lazo scooped up a ground ball.

Seconds later, with a pair of Terps defenders standing in her way, Lazo drove to the goal and scored. Her second goal of the night cut the Terps’ lead to one.

Midfielder Taylor Cummings won the ensuing draw control, though, enabling the No. 1 Terps to run out the clock and secure their second consecutive regular-season Big Ten title.

Lazo’s late tally pushed the No. 11 Nittany Lions’ total to nine, tied for the most points the Terps defense has surrendered to an opponent this season. It marked the third time this season the Terps have allowed nine scores.

“They challenged hard one-on-one,” coach Cathy Reese said. “They hit the inside when it was open. They kept going and continued to attack.”

Defender Alice Mercer said the Terps backline, ranked fourth nationally entering the contest, knew Penn State’s offense would challenge the unit.

In the Terps’ win over the Nittany Lions in College Park last April, Penn State scored 10 times, the fourth time Reese’s team allowed an opponent to reach double digits in 2015.

So even though they were expecting the Nittany Lions to be aggressive, the Terps still had lapses keeping Penn State off the board.

Each time the Terps put together a run, the Nittany Lions responded with one of their own. Attacker Jenna Mosketti and Lazo scored Penn State’s first two goals after the Terps took a quick 3-0 advantage.

Though the Nittany Lions still trailed at that point, the burst gave them momentum. And they used that confidence to score three of the final four goals to end the first half.

“That was something that challenged us defensively, how hard they went one-v-one to goal,” Mercer said. “They were quick on the move on their cuts and they were able to catch the ball inside and finish.”

The Terps had a 6-5 advantage at the intermission, but Penn State didn’t retreat. The Nittany Lions went on another 3-1 run to open the second half, taking their first lead of the night.

Attacker Caroline Wannen’s goal pushed the Terps ahead for good with about four minutes remaining, though the defense allowed Lazo to find the back of the net with 94 seconds remaining to make it a one-score contest.

“[The defense] never gave up and never got discouraged about the number of goals being scored,” Wannen said. “They played super aggressively until the final whistle and it ultimately helped us win.”

In the Terps’ final game of the regular season, Reese said they played defense for longer than usual. They turned the ball over seven times, and Penn State goalie Emi Smith recorded 10 saves, helping the Nittany Lions generate more possessions.

In Maryland’s five previous wins entering the matchup with Penn State, the offense had taken control. At one point in each, the Terps led by 10 goals, resulting in a running clock and taking pressure off the defense.

But the Nittany Lions defense didn’t let the Terps pull away.

Mercer said the Terps adjusted to Penn State’s attack, attempting to slide quicker and be “tighter on cutters,” and those adjustments gave the offense the momentum it needed to finish with a win.

“Those were the adjustments that we made and that kind of got the ball rolling for our offense,” Mercer said.