Three years ago, the Terrapins field hockey team won its third straight ACC Championship after beating North Carolina. That was the last time the Terps won the conference title.

But as the team leaves the ACC next year to compete in the Big Ten, it will do so as ACC champions. A pair of second-half goals lifted the top-seeded Terps to a 2-0 win over No. 3-seed North Carolina and their 10th conference championship in program history yesterday in Newton, Mass.

“For most of our players, our freshmen, sophomores and juniors, they hadn’t won an ACC championship,” coach Missy Meharg said. “So for them and for this staff, to win the final ACC field hockey championship will go down in history.”

The two teams were locked in a cagey affair during the first period. The Tar Heels won a penalty corner early in the game but couldn’t convert. The Terps (20-1, 6-0 ACC) tried to generate scoring opportunities from the wings, but the Tar Heels defense got in the way of their crosses and shots.

The team still outshot the Tar Heels, 6-2, in the first half, as the Terps defense prevented North Carolina (16-5, 3-3 ACC) from getting many opportunities as well. Though the first half ended scoreless, the Terps remained optimistic.

“We were following the game plan,” forward Jill Witmer said. “It was just a matter of time before we were going to finish one and put one in.”

At the start of the second half, the Terps took control through their ball movement. The team had six shots in the first nine minutes of the half and prevented the Tar Heels from getting a shot on goal during that time.

Witmer, who was named tournament MVP, slotted in a cross from midfielder Hayley Turner in the 40th minute for the Terps’ first goal, and midfielder Anna Dessoye scored four minutes later off a penalty corner rebound to double the team’s lead.

“After we settled in and started really playing in the midfield and passing, it was evident we were in control of the game,” Meharg said. “There’s 10 field players for each team, and I think Maryland used all 10 all the time.”

In an effort to make up the late deficit, the Tar Heels played with an empty net for the final 13 minutes. The adjustment helped North Carolina generate more chances, as they took five shots after adding the extra field player. Forward Emma Rissinger picked up a yellow card in the 62nd minute, forcing the Terps to play down a player while the Tar Heels desperately searched for a goal.

But the defense didn’t crack. Attacking players sprinted back to assist the team’s effort, slowing down North Carolina’s ball movement and moving in front of shots to hold the lead.

The Terps outlasted the Tar Heels’ pressure and became the second team to shut out North Carolina this season. Goalkeeper Natalie Hunter made two saves, as the team’s defensive structure helped seal the result.

“The doubling down and layer effect that came from the forwards to the middies and the middies to the defense was excellent,” Meharg said. “It’s not possible for one or two people to break through a village. In that regard, Maryland was a village today.”

The defense, combined with offensive efficiency, helped the Terps to a memorable victory. Despite the history behind the win, the Terps are still working toward a larger, more significant goal. With their ACC campaign officially over, they can look forward to contending for another national championship.

“It feels great, but we got to put this behind us,” Witmer said. “NCAAs is a whole new tournament, and we got to go in there, forgetting about ACCs, and just going and giving it our all.”