Maryland rallied to tie the game just before the half and scored three of the last four goals, including Caitlyn McFadden’s game winner with 5:47 left, for a 13-11 victory and the program’s 11th national crown before an announced record crowd of 9,782 at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium.
Maryland set the stage perfectly to bring the NCAA women’s lacrosse championship back to College Park for the first time since 2001. The Terrapins came in as the No. 1 seed, boasted the stingiest defense in the tournament and, being so close to their home turf in Towson, drew a mostly partisan crowd of red-clad fans.
Facing five-time defending champion Northwestern, however, the Terrapins found themselves in a battle from the start as the No. 2-seeded Wildcats scored the first six goals. Once the Terps banished the jitters and got used to facing into the sun, they reigned all over Northwestern’s title streak.
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