CHESTER, Pa. – The Maryland women's lacrosse team overcame the biggest halftime upset in championship history to capture the Terrapins' 13th national championship and second consecutive title Sunday night.
The top-seeded Terps defeated No. 2-seed North Carolina, 9-8, after being down 6-3 at halftime. Maryland was led offensively by Taylor Cummings (3G, 2A) and Megan Whittle (3G, 1A).
“What a great night for the Terps,” head coach Cathy Reese said. “I'm really proud of my team's effort tonight, especially in the second half. These guys came out and fought hard every possession against a really good Carolina team.”
The Tar Heels jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Maryland tied the game with goals from Whittle and Cummings. After more than 10 minutes of scoreless play, Collins tallied a goal with 9:36 remaining in the half.
North Carolina closed the half with four unanswered goals to take a 6-3 lead. The deficit was Maryland's largest at halftime this season.
The Terps used a 5-0 run to start the second season to take back the lead for the remainder if the game. Kelly McPartland began the Maryland rally at 25:57 and Brooke Griffin bounced a shot past the UNC goalkeeper at 22:36.
Cummings tied the game at 19:12 after finding a break in the defense. Whittle scored two goals in under a minute to complete a hat trick and give Maryland the lead at 15:51.
The Tar Heels brought the game within one goal on a free-position shot at 13:59. Cummings gave the Terps some breathing room as she dodged to goal and scored at 11:57.
Maggie Bill tallied her third goal of the game to again bring the game within one at 3:02. The Terrapins were able to hold the ball for the remainder of the game and take the 9-8 win.
Goalkeeper Alex Fitzpatrick finished the game with four saves and two ground balls.
Maryland finished the game with an 11-8 advantage in draw controls, including seven in the second half. The Terps held the Tar Heels to just four second-half shots.
The Terrapins won their nation's best 13th national championship and 12th NCAA title. Maryland's women's lacrosse NCAA championships rank fourth for the most women's titles across all sports.
Maryland finished the 2015 campaign with a 21-1 overall record, including a 5-0 stint in Big Ten play. The Terps captured the inaugural Big Ten regular season championship. Maryland recorded 15 wins over Inside Lacrosse top-20 teams.
Cummings, Megan Douty, McPartland and Whittle were named to the all-tournament team. Cummings, a 2015 Tewaaraton finalist, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player for the second straight season after posting five goals, six assists, 12 draw controls and two caused turnovers in the Final Four.
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