CHESTER, Pa. – Senior midfielder Taylor Cummings posted four goals and five draw controls as the No. 1 Maryland women's lacrosse team (22-0) ran past No. 4 Syracuse (19-6), 19-9 in the NCAA semifinals Friday evening at Talen Energy Stadium.
The Terps advance to their fourth straight national title game as Maryland seeks its third straight NCAA trophy.
Sophomore attackers Megan Whittle and Taylor Hensh also scored four goals each against the Orange, while junior midfielder Zoe Stukenberg notched a hat tricks.
Maryland scored on each of its first seven shots as the Terps went on a 7-2 run. Hensh tallied the Terrapins' first two goals and senior midfielder Bryn Boucher extended the lead to 3-1 at 26:39. Freshman attacker Caroline Steele bounced in a shot on a man-up opportunity at 23:03.
Stukenberg caught an Orange pass in the defensive zone and finished on the opposite end with a goal at 20:44. Freshman midfielder Jen Giles bounced a shot past the Syracuse goalie at 18:11 as the Terps took a 6-1 lead. After an Orange goal, Hensh, Cummings and Whittle put Maryland on a 3-0 run and the Terrapins pushed to a 9-2 lead with 4:52 remaining. Giles added her second of the half and Maryland took a 10-3 lead into halftime.
The Orange scored twice to start the second half before an Alice Mercer caused turnover helped swing the momentum back to the Terps. Stukenberg and Cummings each scored on free positions, and Whittle added two as Maryland took a 14-6 lead at 17:31.
Cummings scored two straight within 13 seconds as the Terps pushed ahead, 16-6. Whittle notched her fourth at 11:00. Stukenberg scored her third goal of the night with 6:48 to play.
The Orange scored twice in the final 6:14 and Hensh added her fourth with 1:09 to play.
Mercer led the Terps defensively with three ground balls and three caused turnovers while holding fellow Tewaaraton finalist Kayla Treanor to just one goal.
Cummings won six draw controls vs. the Orange, moving to 505 in her career. The Ellicott City, Md., native is just the third player in NCAA history to reach 500 career draws.
Maryland moves to 20-1 all-time vs. Syracuse. The Terps have defeated the Orange in the NCAA Championship weekend in each of the last four seasons. The 2016 senior class went 9-0 against the Orange in their Maryland careers.
The Terps will face third-seeded North Carolina (19-2) in the NCAA Championship game for the third time in four years. Opening draw is set for noon on Sunday at Talen Energy Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
– Maryland –
