The defending national champion Terrapin women’s lacrosse team couldn’t do enough to overcome Northwestern’s defense, falling 8-7 to the Wildcats in the title game today.

After defeating Northwestern in the 2010 championship, 13-11, the Terps could not repeat that effort today, coming up one-goal short as the Wildcats came out on top in the rematch.

The Northwestern defense shut out two of the Terps’ most potent offensive weapons, holding Sarah Mollison and Laura Merrifield scoreless.

Without contributions from either of those players, the Terps offense struggled to get anything going against the Wildcats, scoring just seven goals, tied for a season-low.

Beth Glaros scored four goals for the Terps, while Kristy Black, Katie Schwarzmann and Alex Aust each added on.

The Terp defense was also frustrated by Northwestern, as the Wildcats goaded the Terps into 34 fouls for the game.

Be sure to check out www.diamondbackonline.com for a full recap of today’s action.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.

STONY BROOK, N.Y.—Tied 10-10 with under 20 seconds to play in Friday’s semifinals, Northwestern’s Shannon Smith dodged between two North Carolina defenders and stuck the ball in the back of the net, sending the Wildcats back to the national championship.

Less than three hours earlier, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team had punched its ticket back to the tournament final, defeating Duke, 14-8, to give the Terps an opportunity to defend their 2010 title.

With each teams victory, their meeting Sunday will mark a rematch of the 2010 championship matchup, which the Terps won, 13-11, ending the Wildcats’ streak of five consecutive titles.

“We are really excited about having an opportunity to compete for a national championship on Sunday,” Terp coach Cathy Reese said after Friday’s game. “These guys are fighters, they compete, and they have so much heart that they were willing to give everything they can and lay it on the line for their teammates.”

With the Terps and Northwestern entering the tournament as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, their title-matchup already looks to be a riveting game. But add in the fact that it’s a rematch of the 2010 final, and this year’s championship has the makings of a classic.

“We’re really excited to get back on the field with them,” Northwestern midfielder Erin Fitzgerald said on Friday.” It’s something that’s been in the back of our mind all year as an extra motivating factor.”

Today’s national championship game will begin at 4 p.m. from Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter for live updates throughout today’s national championship game.

STONY BROOK, N.Y.—For the second consecutive season, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team will be playing for a National Championship, ready to defend their 2010 title.

The Terps overcame a slow first-half start against ACC-rival Duke in the semifinals, defeating the Blue Devils, 14-8, to give them a chance at a championship-repeat on Sunday.

“We’re really thrilled about where we are right now,” coach Cathy Reese said. “Tonight was a great game. I’m really pleased with how our team played and I can’t say enough about this group.”

After falling behind the fifth-seeded Blue Devils early, the No. 1 Terps struggled to get their high-powered attack off and running, entering halftime nursing a slim 5-2 lead.

But the Terps offense exploded in the second half, scoring eight of the half’s first 11 goals to take a commanding 13-5 lead with eight minutes to play. Duke was able to net three unanswered garbage-time goals late in the game, but the Terps still cruised to a six-goal victory.

“We knew coming into this game that Duke was such a talented team and that we were going to have our hands full defensively,” Reese said. “We needed to take advantage of the opportunities we had on offense, and I think when the game first started we struggled a bit with that. … But we did settle down.”

The key to the Terps second-half turnaround was their stifling defense. The Terps forced the Blue Devils into 18 turnovers for the game and claimed 21 of the games 37 ground balls. The Terps also held Duke to just 20 shots on goal, four of which were saved by goalie Brittany Dipper.

“I personally don’t think anyone has seen our defensive potential,” defender Katie Gallagher said. “Today we truly showed it.”

The Terps offensive outburst in the second half was ignited by two of their senior leaders, attacker Sarah Mollison and midfielder Laura Merrifield, who finished the contest with four and three goals, respectively. Midfielder Katie Schwarzmann also scored four goals and led the team with two assists.

“One of the really neat things about this year’s team is that we have such great senior leadership,” Reese said. “All different positions on the field, these guys step up, rise to the challenge and take over.”

The team’s defense of their 2010 national title will take place Sunday, where the Terps will face either second-seeded Northwestern or third-seeded North Carolina. Keep checking Terrapin Trail for all the updates on the Terps 2011 NCAA Championship run.

UPDATE: The Terps will face Northwestern in the championship game on Sunday. Tied 10-10 with North Carolina, the Wildcats’ Shannon Smith netted a goal with 18 seconds left to give Northwestern an 11-10 victory.

The last time the Terps faced Northwestern was last year’s national championship, where the Terps ended the Wildcat’s run of five consecutive championships with a 13-11 victory.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter for live updates throughout the tournament.

Through the game’s first 15 minutes, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team trailed Princeton, 3-1, in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

In the game’s final 45 minutes, however, the Terps outscored the Tigers 14-3, advancing to the tournament’s Final Four next Friday in Stony Brook, N.Y., with a 15-6 victory.

After the Terps fell behind early, coach Cathy Reese called a timeout with 14:40 remaining in the first half.  From that point, the Terps scored seven unanswered goals, including three Sarah Molliuson goals in a 30-second span, to take an 8-4 halftime lead.

The Terps continued their offensive onslaught in the second half, scoring the first six goals of the half to take a 14-4 lead.  The Terps then coasted for the remainder of the game, advancing to the tournament semifinals with a 15-6 victory over Princeton.

The Terps were lead by hat-tricks from four different players, as their attack proved to be too much for the Tigers to handle.  Mollison and Katie Schwarzmann each finished with four goals, while Kristy Black and Laura Merrifield netted three each.

The Final Four will take place next weekend at Stony Brook University, where the Terps will face either fourth-seeded Florida or fifth-seeded Duke in the semifinals.

UPDATE: The Terps will face ACC rival Duke in the Final Four on Friday.  The Blue Devils topped the favored Gators in Gainesville, Fla., 13-9 today, advancing them to the semifinals. The Terps faced Duke earlier this season, defeating them 18-11 in College Park.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.

With a grueling stretch of four games in two weeks, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team sputtered to the end of the regular season, finishing the year with its first loss in 28 games, a 9-8 overtime defeat at the hands of Dartmouth.

But with two weeks to recuperate and prepare for the NCAA Tournament first round, the No. 1 Terps made it clear early that their late regular-season struggles would not carry over into the tournament, crushing Navy, 19-6, to advance to the quarterfinals.

“We were a little banged up coming out of our ACC Championship,” coach Cathy Reese said. “But these past two weeks we could sort of take some time to rest, restart and refocus for this weekend. … It was an overall great game for us.”

The Terps began their scoring onslaught early in the contest, scoring four goals in less than four minutes to take an early 4-0 lead. Leading 6-2 with just over 18 to play in the half, the Terps effectively ended the game, finishing the half on a 6-0 run to take a 10-o halftime lead.

With a double-digit lead throughout the second half, the Terps had a chance to rest their starters and give their backups a chance to gain tournament experience. And even with their second team on the field, the Terps outscored the Midshipmen 7-4 in the half en route to a 13-goal victory.

Overall, the Terps scored on 19 of their 26 shots, a shooting percentage of over 70 percent.

“That was one of the things we spent some time on, and I’d say it paid off today,” Reese said. “I’m really pleased with that part of our game.”

Today’s contest also marked the return of Navy coach Cindy Timchal, who coached the Terps for 16 years before leaving for Navy after the 2006 season. Reese played for Timchal for four years and was an assistant coach under her for five seasons.

“That was who I learned from, both as a player and as a coach,” Reese said. “It’s different being on the opposite side from her in a game, but obviously I have a respect for her as a coach and it made for an interesting game.”

Sarah Mollison lead the way for the Terps attack, finishing the game with four goals and four assists.  Kristy Black, Laura Merrifield and Bria Phillips each notched hat tricks, while Katie Schwarzmann and Alex Aust added two goals apiece.

The Terps will continue their national title defense next Saturday, where they will face either James Madison or Princeton. Continue to check Terrapin Trail for updates as the Terps move through the NCAA Tournament.

UPDATE: The Terps will face unseeded Princeton in the quarterfinals next Saturday. The Tigers defeated eighth-seeded James Madison today, 11-10, to advance.  The Terps hosted Princeton earlier in the season, defeating them, 17-10.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat writer. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.

After an undefeated conference season and an ACC Championship, two Terrapin women’s lacrosse team members were given the league’s highest honors.

Coach Cathy Reese earned her fourth ACC Coach of the Year honors in five seasons, while senior attacker Sarah Mollison earned ACC Player of the year honors. Mollison leads the No. 1 Terps in points and is second on the team in goals.

This marks the fifth consecutive season the Terps have walked away with the Player of the Year award and the tenth time overall.

The Terps will host Navy in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Championship on Saturday.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.

When the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team stepped onto the field to face Dartmouth today in Hanover, N.H., it was perfect on the season and winners of its past 28 games.

When the final buzzer sounded, however, the Terps were on the losing end, falling to the Big Green in overtime, 9-8, for their first loss since April 10, 2010 against North Carolina.

After trailing at the half, 5-2, the Terps roared back, taking a 7-6 lead early in the second half. Dartmouth hung tough though, eventually tying the score at eight goals apiece with just over 4 minutes to play.

After the Terps missed five shots in the final two minutes of the contest, the game was sent to overtime for the first time for either team this season.

With eight seconds left to play in the second overtime, Dartmouth’s Sarah Parks netted the game-winning goal, ending the Terps run at perfection as well as their 28-game winning streak.

With the regular season over, the Terps will have two weeks off to regroup for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Check The Diamondback on Monday for a full recap of today’s action.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat writer. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.

CARY, N.C.–Boston College did everything they could to slow the game down, yet still the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team came out on top.

While their attack struggled at a slower pace, the Terps used a solid defensive effort and timely shooting to keep the Eagles at bay, 8-5, advancing to the ACC Women’s Lacrosse Championship finals.

“Our defense came up with some huge stops,” coach Cathy Reese said. “We could’ve executed a bit better on offense, but overall it was a good evening.”

The Terps jumped out of the gate early, with midfielder Laura Merrifield netting the game’s first goal less than three minutes in. Boston College tied the game soon after, but the Terps ended the half on a 5-0 run, taking a 6-1 lead into the break.

But the first half score doesn’t tell the whole story. It was clear that Boston College’s strategy was to hold onto possessions in order to slow down the Terps high-paced attack.

“Teams have done that to us before,” attacker Sarah Mollison said. “We just need to execute, whoever it is on offense. Stick the ball in the back of the net so we’re dictating the pace of the game.”

The Eagle’s strategy almost paid dividends. After scoring first in the second half, the Terps allowed Boston College go on a 4-0 run, getting back to within two goals of the lead with 10 minutes to play. But the Terps’ defense clamped down, shutting out Boston College for the rest of the game.

“Our defense stayed mentally checked in and focused, and they stepped up,” Reese said. “We really limited their opportunities offensively. Anytime you can hold a team to five goals I’d say that’s some pretty good defense.”

Mollison lead the way for the Terps, scoring three goals in the first half alone. Merrifield scored twice, while midfielders Katie Schwarzmann, Brandi Jones and Beth Glaros each netted goals of their own.

The Terps will play for their third consecutive conference title on Sunday, where they will face either North Carolina or Duke.

UPDATE: The Terps will face North Carolina Sunday after the Tar Heels beat the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels are the last team to beat the Terps, defeating them, 13-9, on April 10, 2010.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale

It takes a lot of great players to be the No. 1 women’s lacrosse team in the nation. On Wednesday, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team had six of those players recognized for their efforts on the field this season.

Goalie Brittany Dipper, defender Katie Gallagher, attackers Karri Ellen Johnson and Sarah Mollison, and midfielders Laura Merrifield and Katie Schwarzmann were named to the All-ACC team. This is the third all-conference honor for Johnson and Mollison, while Merrifield and Schwarzmann each earned it for the second time.

Dipper, Johnson, Mollison and Schwarzmann were also among the 24 finalists on the Tewaarton watch list, giving the Terps more representatives on the list than any other team. The Tewaarton Award is given to the nation’s lacrosse player of the year.

These players and their teammates have combined to lead the Terps (15-0, 5-0 ACC) to a perfect record this season and they will enter this weekend’s ACC Championship as the top seed.

Dipper, a junior, has been one of the nation’s top goalies all season, boasting 77 saves and nation-best 6.48 goals against allowed per game.

Attackers Johnson, a junior, and Mollison, a senior, have been two stalwarts on the Terps’ offense this season. Johnson is second on the team in goals, even though she has missed the past four games due to a concussion, and Mollison leads the nation in assists.

Schwarzmann, a sophomore, has also been an offensive force for the Terps, leading the team with 44 goals on the season. Senior midfielder Merrifield has totaled 27 goals this season, while Gallagher, a senior defender, overcame Crohn’s Disease last season to get back on the field as the Terps’ defensive leader in 2011.

Johnson injury status leaves her questionable for the weekend, but the rest of these players will be on the field in Cary, N.C., this weekend as the Terps attempt to secure their third consecutive ACC Championship.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.

At last year’s NCAA Championship, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team had to overcome an early 6-0 deficit against Northwestern in order to capture their first title since 2001.

This season, the Terps will face a slightly easier path in their championship defense.

Though the national tournament is still weeks away, the Terps’ chances at repeating are already becoming evident. The Terps topped the Wildcats, winners of five straight titles entering 2010, 13-11 in the 2010 championship game, and with just over a month until this season’s NCAA Championship, the Terps are the clear favorite to repeat in 2011.

The No. 1 Terps have won 25 straight games and remain perfect on the season (15-0, 5-0 ACC). The Wildcats still loom at No. 5 the rankings, but the divide between the Terps and the rest of the competition considerably more apparent than it has been in seasons past.

Perennial contender Northwestern began the season 12-0, but lost twice this past week, falling in narrow contests to No. 2 Florida and Johns Hopkins.

The Gators are another team that could pose a threat to the Terps, but even with a rise near the top of the polls, they remain relatively unproven. The Florida program is only in its second season of competition and features a roster with just one upperclassman—26 of the 27 players are freshman or sophomores. Even with a talented roster, the Gators are inexperienced in tournament play.

The Terps have also faced seven schools ranked in the deBeer Women’s Media Poll top 20—No. 4 Duke, No. 6 North Carolina, No. 9 Penn, No. 10 Virginia, No. 11 James Madison, No. 12 Boston College and No. 19 Princeton. The closest game the Terps played against these opponents was a three-goal victory over the ACC-rival Tar Heels, and the rest of their contests against ranked opponents were decided by at least seven goals.

The Terps will continue their season on Friday, where they will look to capture their third straight ACC title. And when the 2011 NCAA tournament gets underway mid-May, there will be a pack of hungry teams looking to unseat the defending national champions.

But with a championship-caliber roster and a wealth of tournament experience, the Terps talent may be too much for their competitors to overcome.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.