At 5 p.m. today, the Maryland women’s lacrosse team will be facing Penn State for a chance to make the NCAA Tournament title game. It’s not who they’ll be facing that matters, though – it’s where.
The game will take place at Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots. Gillette Stadium is also less than an hour away from both Fenway Park and the TD Garden, the homes of Boston’s other pro sports teams.
If the Terps are looking for a good sign, they’re in the right place. Just look at the recent success of some of Maryland’s other local teams when playing in Massachusetts.
First, let’s go back to 2011. The Orioles are 35-27 playing the Red Sox at Fenway Park, good for .565 winning percentage. However, the two teams have never met in the playoffs.
The same can not be said for the Ravens. The Ravens are the only team who have been able to go into Gillette Stadium and beat a Tom Brady-led Patriots team twice in the playoffs.
In a January 2010 meeting, the Ravens intercepted Brady three times on their way to a 33-14 victory.
Three years later, the Ravens punched a ticket to the Super Bowl by winning in Foxborough again, behind two touchdowns from Anquan Boldin in a 28-13 win.
The Capitals also scored a key victory in Boston. Joel Ward’s 2012 game-winning goal at TD Garden against the Bruins helped the Capitals advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If you’re looking for a good sign for today’s game, the success of the Orioles, Ravens and Capitals in Massachusetts should do the trick.
