UNC hangs on, Maryland cruises to set up title game rematch
— -- CHESTER, Pa. -- In the shadow of the Commodore Barry Bridge on the shores of the Delaware River, the unmistakable chant of "We are Penn State" filled Talen Energy Stadium on Friday evening. It was a statement in support of Nittany Lion lacrosse, in the final four for the first time since 1999, and facing North Carolina.
But the team wearing the lighter shade of blue had the final say in a 12-11 semifinal of runs that sent the Tar Heels into Sunday's national championship game for the third time in the past four years.
North Carolina (19-2), predictably, will meet Maryland (22-0) in what is a rematch from the 2013 and 2015 championship games. As old Atlantic Coast Conference rivals, North Carolina won a triple-overtime thriller in 2013, while the Terrapins rallied from three goals down to take last year's title.
"Maryland-Carolina is always a battle," Maryland senior Taylor Cummings, the face of the sport the past four years, said after the Terrapins dominated Syracuse, 19-9, in the nightcap. "It's one of the greatest rivalries not just in lacrosse but in women's sports. People should be in for a good one Sunday."
The Tar Heels played the first semifinal in front of a sizable Penn State contingent that made the trek three hours hoping to see the Nittany Lions win their first NCAA title since 1989. Instead, they saw a gritty North Carolina team that survived by winning seven one-goal games this season.
"This is what you work for all year," said junior Carly Reed, who matched her career high of five goals in her seventh consecutive start for North Carolina. "You only get so many games to play in a year. In the fall you battle and this is what you live for since you're little, since you started playing lacrosse. That game on Sunday is just like a dream come true."
North Carolina hasn't lost since it was nipped Feb. 27 in Chapel Hill against Maryland. That's a string of 16 straight that Penn State nearly interrupted, scoring four straight second-half goals to trim the deficit to one with 7minutes, 13 seconds remaining.
And without a shot clock in the game -- a rule that will be introduced in Division I starting with the 2017 season -- the Tar Heels were intent to play keep-away for most of the second half. The intricate game of catch among North Carolina attackers nearly cost them when a turnover gave Penn State possession with 1:33 remaining.
Instead, Caylee Waters made her eighth save of the game off a shot by Steph Lazo with 50 seconds to play, preserving the victory.
It's hard for Waters to describe the play; it was all instinct, which is how she likes it. "I was mad that I had let one slip in before, and it was mixed emotions because I was thinking, 'Man! How did we get ourselves here?'" she said. "I tried to push that aside and just believe."
Despite being the youngest member of the U.S. national team and the reigning consensus national goalkeeper of the year, Waters has been used only in relief for the past six games. After the flu sidelined her in early April, Megan Ward started in her place and kept the spot for seven straight starts, including Friday's semifinal.
Ward is no newbie; the senior earned the win in Carolina's 2013 national championship, and coach Jenny Levy liked her effort, particularly this postseason when she was named to the All-ACC tournament team. But when a 3-0 Tar Heel start gave way to five straight goals in a span of 2:58, Waters got the nod.
"If I left her in, I have confidence that she would have recovered," Levy said. "But at that moment, I felt like we needed to settle down a little bit, and sometimes when you make a shift, it gets the group's attention."
North Carolina went into the break ahead 7-6 after Reed's fourth goal, and though the Tar Heels lost some steam when Molly Hendrick's score was nullified because of an illegal stick, there would be no last-second heroics for Penn State, which ends the season at 14-7.
"In the second half, we had some good opportunities," Penn State coach Missy Doherty said. "They held their championship composure."
Meanwhile, the Terps continued their quest for their first undefeated season since 2001 as they bolted to a 10-3 halftime lead and eliminated the Orange from the national tournament for the fourth time in four years. They rolled to their 26th straight win dating back to last season and showed why they are favored to take their 14th national title back to College Park.
"This is an incredible Maryland team that stepped on the field with a confidence of a defending national champion team," Orange coach Gary Gait said. "They shot incredibly well today. Ten-for-13 in the first half was amazing, and it's hard to answer that." The Terps left no doubt in frustrating Syracuse (19-6), which is 1-20 against the most storied program in the game. While Cummings is the name most identify with this program -- the two-time Tewaaraton award winner will play in her final collegiate lacrosse game on Sunday -- a lesser known Taylor ignited Maryland early.
Sophomore attacker Taylor Hensh put the Terps on the board with a pair and finished with four goals, but Cummings caught up with four of her own, and four by Megan Whittle ballooned her season total to 73.
"The chemistry in this group is really something special," Maryland coach Cathy Reese said. "It's a cool vibe out there."
The game marked the end of the collegiate career of Syracuse's Kayla Treanor, the most decorated lacrosse player in school history. The Tewaaraton nominee ends her career with a school-record 260 goals and her 217 draw controls this season is a single-season NCAA record.
"Hats off to Maryland," Treanor said. "I'm really proud to have played for Syracuse. I'll never put that jersey back on, but it's been quite a ride."
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