COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Led by four-goal performances from Kelly McPartland and Megan Whittle, the top-seeded Terps dominated UMass, 19-8, in the NCAA Championship second round Sunday afternoon.
“This is an exciting time of year,” head coach Cathy Reese said. “This is what we work all season for, is to put ourselves in a position to have the opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament. Today's game was awesome. I thought our girls played really hard across the field.”
The team's 18 goals were the Terps' most in an outing this season. The Minutewomen came into Sunday's game with the No. 2 defense in the nation, holding opponents to 5.45 goals per game.
Zoe Stukenberg and Taylor Cummings each recorded hat tricks while Mattie Meredith scored twice. Brooke Griffin, Erin Collins and Taylor Hensh each tallied one goal.
The Terps and Minutewomen stayed closely matched in the first five minutes of the game. Maryland's first four goals came on free-position shots from Whittle, McPartland (2) and Griffin as the Terps took a 4-3 lead at 23:21.
Maryland was able to score the next four goals to give the team an 8-3 lead. Whittle found the net after picking up a rebound and scoring at 16:58. Meredith found a Cummings' pass through traffic and was able to tally a goal just over a minute later. Collins scored on a free-position and Cummings dodged through two defenders to notch a goal at 7:32.
The Minutewomen were able to score two of the next three goals before McPartland and Whittle tallied goals at 1:30 and 00:12, respectively, to give the Terps an 11-5 lead at halftime.
UMass scored the first goal of the second half before Maryland rattled off the next five goals to push the Terps' lead to 16-6. Cummings and Stukenberg each scored twice in just over two minutes and Whittle tallied one at 17:35. Massachusetts' Erika Eipp notched her fourth goal of the game at 15:02 before McPartland buried a free-position shot for her fourth of the game at 15:02.
Stukenberg and Meredith each tallied goals in the last 15 minutes of the game as the Terps took the 19-8 win.
Maryland outshot the Minutewomen, 37-11, and held a 14-8 advantage in ground balls. The Terps also picked up a 22-7 draw control advantage. Maryland went 7-of-10 on free positions, including 6-of-8 in the first half.
The Terps will face eighth-seeded Northwestern in the NCAA quarterfinals Sunday, May 17 at noon. Tickets can be purchased here.
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