Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

UMass falls to Maryland in NCAA tournament 1st round

Jeff Bernstein/Collegian

The 2012 season came to an end Saturday afternoon for the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team, as it fell in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 15-12, at No. 3-seeded Maryland.

Throughout the season, the Minutewomen (19-2) rarely entered a game as an underdog, but that was the case Saturday against the Terrapins (18-3). Maryland seemed poised to prove why it was a favorite and got out to a commanding lead, racking off three consecutive goals less than five minutes into the game.

With her team in desperate need of a goal, Jesse O’Donnell stepped up for UMass, scoring an unassisted goal to cut the lead to 3-1. O’Donnell was one of three Minutewomen to record a hat trick on the day, the other two being Tanner Guarino and Nina Sarcona.

The two teams then traded goals the rest of the first half, with neither team scoring two goals in a row. UMass had an opportunity to cut the lead to one right before the half, but Maryland goalie Brittany Dipper came up with one of her four saves on the day, preserving a 7-5 advantage at the half.

Maryland came out with a bang in the second half, as Brooke Griffin scored a goal 13 seconds in, extending the Terrapin lead to three. Griffin was one of three Maryland players to record a hat trick, with the others being Kelly McPartland and Kristy Black.

Katie Ferris responded with her only goal of the game – which was unassisted – at the 23:16 mark. Ferris was later ejected from the game due to a pair of yellow cards, a tough ending to her stellar sophomore season in which she broke several UMass records.

Every time that the Minutewomen seemed to get back in the game, the Terrapins found a way to respond.

McPartland scored two goals in eight seconds to put Maryland up 10-6 with 21:53 to play. She had a chance to score three goals in less than 20 seconds, but UMass goalkeeper Katie Florence came up with a big save to preserve the four-goal deficit. Florence had six saves on the day in a losing effort before being replaced by backup Rachel Vallarelli late in the second half. Vallarelli made three saves of her own.

Sarcona scored the next goal to bring UMass back to within three, but the Terrapins responded with a flurry of goals, scoring five straight to take a 15-7 lead with 6:47 left.

With time working against them, the Minutewomen did their best to cut into their sizable deficit, scoring the final five goals of the game and making the final score a respectable 15-12

Lauren Terracciano and Dayna Defliese rounded out the scoring for the Minutewomen, scoring one goal apiece. Griffin led all scorers with six points for Maryland.

Statistically, the two teams were near even, with Maryland shooting four more shots, grabbing five more ground balls, committing two more fouls, winning one more draw control and committing three fewer turnovers than UMass. Both teams converted on three of their free position opportunities.

The Terrapins successfully cleared 11 of their 13 clear attempts, while the Minutewomen converted on eight of their 11 opportunities.

Sarcona led the game with six draw controls, while her counterpart, Johnson, won four.

The loss marks the end of the season for UMass, while Maryland moves on to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Cameron McDonough can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_McDonough.

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