THE MATCHUP
Sunday, May 26, 12:00 p.m. -- vs. #2 Boston College
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | NCAA Tournament Bracket
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The top-seeded Maryland women's lacrosse team will play in their 22nd National Championship game as the Terps take on No. 2 Boston College for the 2019 title. The game will be broadcasted on ESPNU with John Brickley, Sheehan Stanwick Burch, Jon "Stugotz" Weiner and Halley Quillinan Griggs on the call.
HOW WE GOT HERE
• Junior Brindi Griffin notched a career-high seven points on six goals and one assist to pace No. 1 Maryland to a 25-13 victory over No. 4 Northwestern in Friday's NCAA Semifinals at Homewood Stadium, leading wire-to-wire, and scoring its most goals as a team since netting 25 against Quinnipiac on March 11, 2004.
• Behind a career-high seven goals from senior Caroline Steele, the No. 1 Maryland women's lacrosse team advanced to their 11th-straight Final Four, defeating Denver 17-8 in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday night.
• Down 4-0 early, the No. 1 seeded Maryland women's lacrosse team outscored Stony Brook 17-4 in the rest of the game to win 17-8 and advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 13th straight season.
MEET THE TERPS
• The Terps are led by the midfield corps of senior Jen Giles and transfer Erica Evans. Giles, a Tewaaraton Finalist, leads the Terps with 79 points (56 goals, 22 assists) and is second with 36 groundballs. Evans leads the team with 59 goals and is second with 73 points. Evans has been on a tear lately, scoring 32 goals in the past eight games.
• Maryland is once again backlined by senior Megan Taylor, who has had an incredible 2019 season, leading the country with a .553 save percentage at 207 saves to 167 goals allowed. Taylor was named the B1G Defensive Player of the Week six weeks in a row, earned three IWLCA National Player of the Week honors and is only the second goalie ever to be named a Tewaaraton Finalist.
• The attack is spearheaded by senior Caroline Steele and junior Kali Hartshorn. Steele and Hartshorn are third and fourth on the team with 67 and 65 goals apiece. Steele had seven goals in the quarterfinal win, while Hartshorn leads the team with 134 draw controls.
• Senior Julia Braig and junior Lizzie Colson guide the Maryland defense. Braig leads the Terps with 26 caused turnovers while Colson stands right behind her with 23, leads the team with 41 groundballs and stands second with 120 draw controls.
MARYLAND LEADERS
GOALS - Erica Evans (59)
ASSISTS - Brindi Griffin (24)
POINTS - Jen Giles (79)
DRAW CONTROLS - Kali Hartshorn (134)
GROUNDBALLS - Lizzie Colson (41)
CAUSED TURNOVERS - Julia Braig (26)
SAVES - Megan Taylor (207)
TERPS IN THE TOURNEY
• This is Maryland's 30th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the longest run in the country. The Terps have now made 11-straight Final Fours, lead the nation with 35 NCAA appearances and are also tops in wins (74), championship game appearances (22) and NCAA titles (13).
• Maryland is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh-straight season. Under Cathy Reese, the Terps are 35-8 in the NCAA Tournament, have won four National Championships, made 11 Final Fours and the reached championship game nine times.
HOME DOMINANCE
• Maryland finished their season at home undefeated for the 7th year in a row. The Terps are on a 87-game win streak in College Park and haven't lost since March 10, 2012.
• This is the longest home winning streak in program history, last year eclipsing the previous long of 62 games.
• Maryland's senior class, who is played their final game at home last week finished with a perfect 45-0 record.
• Cathy Reese is 143-2 all-time at home as head coach of Maryland.
REESE, FORBES SELECTED FOR INDUCTION INTO NATIONAL LACROSSE HALL OF FAME
• Cathy Nelson Reese and Sarah Forbes were selected for induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019, the Hall of Fame announced Wednesday. Reese and Forbes will be officially inducted in a ceremony on Saturday, October 19, at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md.
• Both Reese and Forbes were teammates at Maryland, playing together in 1995-97, winning three National Championships and compiling a 57-1 record together.
GILES & TAYLOR NAMED TEWAARATON FINALISTS
• Two Terps, seniors Jen Giles and Megan Taylor, were named finalists for lacrosse's most prestigious honor, the Tewaaraton Award last Thursday evening. This is both Giles and Taylor's first time being named Tewaaraton finalists. Taylor is only the second goalie ever to be a finalist for the prestigious award and the first since 2013.
• Maryland has produced eight Tewaaraton winners, the most in the history of the award, including winning in six of the past seven years. The Terps have had 25 finalists in the 19 years of the award. This is the 13th straight season that Maryland has had at least one finalist for lacrosse's most esteemed honor and the eighth time that Maryland's had two finalists.
FOUR TERPS GARNER TOP BIG TEN HONORS
• Senior Jen Giles was named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, senior Julia Braig was selected as the Big Ten Defender of the Year and senior Megan Taylorearned Big Ten Goaltender of the Year honors, the Big Ten announced on Monday.
• Head coach Cathy Reese was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the fourth time in five years in the conference, marking the 11th time in Reese's career she's been named conference coach of the year.
• Maryland has won the Big Ten Defender of the Year award in each of its five years in the conference, with Braig now becoming the first Terp to win twice, while this is Taylor's fourth year in a row winning Goaltender of the Year. Giles is the third Maryland midfielder to earn Midfielder of the Year honors, joining Taylor Cummings (2015-16) and Zoe Stukenberg (2017).
SEVEN TERPS NAMED TO IWLCA ALL-REGION TEAMS
• Seven members of the No. 1 Maryland women's lacrosse team were selected to the IWLCA All-South Region teams, as announced by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Tuesday.
• A trio of seniors: Julia Braig, Jen Giles and Megan Taylor and junior Kali Hartshorn earned First Team recognition, while graduate student Erica Evans, senior Caroline Steele and junior Lizzie Colson earned Second Team honors.
AWARD TIME FOR MEGAN TAYLOR
• Senior Megan Taylor has won a handful of awards over the past weeks, garnering Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors six weeks in a row and IWLCA National Player of the Week honors on March 13 and 20 and April 10.
• Taylor leads the NCAA with a .556 save percentage, having saved 194 shots to only allowing 153 goals. The senior also is third in the country with a 8.11 goals against average. Taylor and Maryland have the third best scoring defense in the country, only allowing 7.76 goals per game.
• With her 700th save a few weeks ago against Northwestern, Taylor has the most career-saves of any goalie in the country.
EVANS NAMED BRINE/US LACROSSE NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Graduate student Erica Evans was named the Brine/US Lacrosse National Player of the Week, US Lacrosse announced Tuesday.
• Evans was huge in Maryland's 17-8 win over Stony Brook, scoring five goals and notching two assists, all in the first half, to bring Maryland back from 4-0 down to take an 11-6 lead at halftime, going on a personal 4-0 run in the process.
FIVE TERPS SELECTED IN WPLL DRAFT
• The Maryland women's lacrosse team had a nation-best five players selected in the 2019 Women's Professional Lacrosse League Collegiate Draft on April 25.
• Erica Evans and Jen Giles were selected fifth and sixth overall by the Pride, Julia Braig was picked 18th overall by the Command, Megan Taylor was the 21st pick by the Fight and Caroline Steele was selected 25th overall, joining Evans and Giles on the Pride.
• Evans and Giles were the first and second midfielders selected in the draft, Taylor was the only goalkeeper selected and Braig was the second defender off the board.
• With the selections of Evans, Giles, Braig, Taylor and Steele, there are now 20 Terps in the WPLL, the most in the country. Northwestern and North Carolina have the next most with 12 apiece.
MARYLAND DAIRY INTRODUCES CATHY REESE'S VICTORY SWIRL
• The Maryland Dairy, located in the Stamp Student Union has made an ice cream for head coach Cathy Reese, "Cathy Reese's Victory Swirl" debuted it at their shop on Monday.
• The ice cream, which Reese picked out herself, includes vanilla ice cream, reeses peanut butter cups, reeses pieces and a chocolate fudge swirl.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
• Boston College defeated No. 3 North Carolina, 14-13 in overtime on Friday night to advance to their third-straight National Championship game.
• Maryland is 13-1 all-time against Boston College.
• The Terps have finished their season two years in a row against Boston College. In 2017, Maryland defeated Boston College, 16-13 in the National Championship game behind six goals from Caroline Steele. Last season, the Terps fell to Boston College in the National Semifinal, 15-13. Jen Giles and Kali Hartshorn both had six points.
