There was nothing goalkeeper JJ Suriano could do.

With 20 seconds remaining in a tied game and Northwestern up a player in the Big Ten championship, senior midfielder Emerson Bohlig backpedaled to the 12-meter arc. She hurled a pass to midfielder Aditi Foster, unmarked in front of the net.

Suriano had stopped a career-high 18 shots, but the final shot she faced snuck past her with 15 seconds remaining.

Northwestern defeated Maryland, 8-7, behind the late goal to secure its third consecutive Big Ten title on Sunday at the Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.

“I think they have a lot to be proud of,” coach Cath Reese said. “To know that you can play with one of the best teams in the country … I think it is something that they need to hang on to.”

The last time Maryland women’s lacrosse faced Northwestern, it wasn’t close — the Wildcats scored eight unanswered goals in the first quarter and cruised to a 12-goal victory. But in Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament championship, Maryland’s defense started much stronger, largely thanks to goalkeeper JJ Suriano.

Suriano, who tied her career high with 13 saves in the semifinal win over Michigan, surpassed that mark with 9:02 left in the third quarter against Northwestern. After posting a .565 save percentage in the semifinals, the sophomore elevated her performance even further in the title match, recording a .692 save rate against the Wildcats.

[Maryland women’s lacrosse advances to Big Ten championship with 13-10 win over Michigan]

“Today was a great day to bring it,” Reese said. “We needed her again, such a powerful [Northwestern] offense, but she stepped up [and] she rose to the challenge.”

The goalkeeper stopped each of the first two shots she faced, with both saves coming against attacker Madison Taylor. The junior entered the game as one of the nation’s most prolific goal scorers, tallying 87 goals, ranking second nationally.

Taylor had been dominant from the free position line all season, tallying 32 of her goals from the eight-meter line. But on Sunday, Taylor struggled to convert on free-position attempts, failing to capitalize on every free-position opportunity.

Suriano finished the game with a career-high 18 saves, tying a Big Ten Tournament record and limiting the Big Ten’s top scoring offense to a season low in goals scored. Her 18 saves were also the most by any Maryland goalkeeper in a single game since Megan Taylor’s 2017 performance against Syracuse.

Eleven of Suriano’s saves came in the first half, but she was unable to maintain her pace in the third quarter. Suriano made four more saves in the quarter, but Northwestern finally broke through in the final five minutes, scoring three times on its final four shots.

Despite Suriano continuing to perform well in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats found similar success at the end of the fourth quarter, scoring on their final three shots.

[Maryland women’s lacrosse avenges last season’s upset with 17-11 win over Rutgers]

While Suriano shined in net, Maryland’s team defense also impressed. The Terps played tight, compact defense, allowing them to quickly double-team drivers and disrupt passes inside the eight-meter arc, forcing six turnovers and two shot clock violations in the first half.

“Northwestern has some of the best shooters in the nation, and we did a good job holding them today,” Reese said.

While Northwestern struggled to convert its free-position attempts, Maryland capitalized early behind midfielder Kori Edmondson, who scored two quick goals and had converted at a 72 percent clip all season.

But the Terps’ offense sputtered in the second half, managing just two goals — both from Edmondson on free-position shots — marking her seventh four-goal game of the season and fifth straight with at least three goals.

Edmondson tied the game at seven late in the fourth quarter on a free-position chance, and had an opportunity to do the same with two seconds remaining, but her shot was deflected over the net.“She is the best midfielder in the nation [and] we saw that again tonight,” Reese said. “That is 100 percent who I would put on the eight meter again with two seconds left in any game that we have this season.”