Penn entered the NCAA tournament with a clear weakness; the Quakers were winless in three overtime games this season.

Maryland women’s lacrosse hadn’t played in an overtime game this year. But in the Terps’ biggest contest of the season, Penn got its elusive extra period win.

Backed by Catherine Berkery’s overtime winner, Penn (12-6) edged past No. 6-seeded Maryland 11-10 on Sunday at the Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. It is the Terps’ second loss this season against the Quakers and marks consecutive years that they have lost in College Park in the NCAA tournament.

“It’s a heartbreaker,” Maryland coach Cathy Reese said. “For Penn to even … cause a turnover in the last couple seconds of the game and score to send it to overtime, you know, shows the kind of battle this game was.”

[Maryland women’s lacrosse advances past Fairfield in first round of the NCAA tourney, 16-7]

Maryland (15-6) committed 17 turnovers against Fairfield in its prior game. Those struggles carried over against Penn’s No.18-ranked scoring defense, as the Terps committed a season-high 24 turnovers.

“Our game plan was just to have some more pressure get on their hands,” Penn defender Natasha Gorriaran said. “Last time, we kind of ended up sinking back a little more, and this time, it was a really big focus to get up and pressure out.”

Maryland’s 22nd turnover proved to be the most costly one. After defender Neve O’Ferrall forced a turnover with eight seconds remaining and a one-goal lead, the junior flung an errant pass that bounced into the stick of Penn midfielder Gracie Smith.

The senior then hurled a pass to attacker Erika Chung, who tied the game with two seconds remaining.

It was a crucial mistake in the contest’s waning moments.

“We should have just thrown the ball,” Reese said. “I don’t know that we knew how much time was left on the clock, but [we] just should have checked it.”

[With the help of Caroline Smith, JJ Suriano is peaking late for Maryland women’s lacrosse]

JJ Suriano’s regular-season clash vs. Penn was one of her worst outings of the season. Maryland women’s lacrosse’s sophomore goalkeeper made just five saves on 16 shots on goal and was pulled from the game with 13:01 remaining in the fourth quarter.

But since Maryland’s four-game road trip at the end of March, Suriano has turned her season around. The goalie has recorded at least a .429 save rate in six of her past seven games and continued that streak on Sunday, finishing with a .577 save rate.

Suriano’s rematch against Penn started almost identically to her performance in Philadelphia, as senior midfielder Anna Brandt opened the scoring on Penn’s first possession. But the sophomore settled in after the early goal, stopping six of the next seven Quakers’ shots on goal, and finished the game with 16 saves.

“She’s an excellent goalie, and I’ve loved how she’s developed as a player this year,” Reese said. “The D in front of her has done a nice job of setting her up, and when she’s put in that situation, she comes away with some big saves.”

Penn’s top-ranked offense entered the game red-hot, scoring in double-digits the past six games. Brandt, the program’s all-time leading goal scorer, scored three goals in each of her prior two contests against the Terps.

The Terps’ defense didn’t solely rely on their goalie. Penn attacker Catherine Berkery, who stands at 5-foot-10, is a constant presence in the Quakers’ attack. She tallied five goals and eight points in Penn’s first-round matchup.

But Maryland matched Berkery against defender Annabella Schafer for most of the first half. Schafer’s 5-foot-11 frame prevented Berkery from using her height and forced the Quakers to find alternative options.

But Berkery was able to get open on Penn’s final play of the game and send the Quakers to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. The goal ended Maryland’s season on its home turf for the second straight season, this time in stunning fashion.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated that Annabelle Schafer forced a turnover with eight seconds remaining. It was Neve O’Ferrall. A previous version of this story also misstated that O’Ferrall is a junior. She is a sophomore. This story has been updated.