Chalk up another national semifinal appearance for Maryland women’s lacrosse. Ten straight to be exact.
“We’re so excited,” said Terps midfielder Jen Giles. “It’s such an honor to be in this position. We’re just so excited for it to get started.”
The defending national champions got by Navy on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal in College Park. The Terps topped the Mids 17-15 scoring 6 of the game’s final seven goals.
“It showed this team’s character,” said Terps Head Coach Cathy Reese. “This is a team that never gives up. They always keep fighting.”
“For me, just playing for my teammates. Playing for everything that we’ve worked for all season,” added Giles. “Just wanting it not to end.”
And it won’t.
Senior Megan Whittle scored three straight times to tie the game and give Maryland the lead late. She’s now three goals shy of becoming the second player in NCAA history to reach 300 career goals.
With the victory the Terps senior class finishes their careers an undefeated 47-0 on their home turf.
“It’s crazy. It is a really cool thing. I think it just shows how great my class has been over four years and to be consistently a number one seed and heading to the Final Four for four years and playing in national championships is a really cool thing,” said Whittle.
Next up for Maryland is No. 4 Boston College on Friday. This year’s national semifinal game is a rematch of last year’s national championship contest, of course won by the Terps.
“During tournament time in general, especially the Final Four and especially when teams are playing Maryland, they play their best game against us,” said Whittle. “We saw them last year in the national championship. So, they’re a very talented team, a great program. They will be well prepared for this game and so will we.”
The game Friday is set for 7:30 p.m. at Stony Brook.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
