#1 Maryland Too Strong for Dartmouth Women's Lacrosse

Saturday, May 8

College Park, Md.

12:00 p.m.

Dartmouth College

Maryland

#1 Maryland Too Strong for Dartmouth Women's Lacrosse

5/8/2010 2:00:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

College Park, Md. - Senior goalie Julie Wadland (Andover, Mass.) made 10 saves but faced 37 shots as #1 Maryland used a big second half run to stifle the #12 Dartmouth women's lacrosse team 17-6 today.

Dartmouth (11-5) was looking for a big upset on the road as it took on the nation's top-ranked team in Maryland (18-1) in its final game before NCAA Tournament selections. The Big Green's at-large resume still includes top-10 wins over Notre Dame and Syracuse, and until today, its previous four losses were by a combined six goals.

Dartmouth was well within striking distance at halftime, trailing 8-4 at halftime. The Terps had the Big Green reeling in the second half, however, scoring eight goals in just nine minutes to suddenly build the lead to 16-4 with 18:25 to play in the half.

Today's game marked both the Big Green's least potent offensive performance and the most goals surrendered, with its previous season high for goals allowed at just 11.

Maryland held a 37-17 shot advantage and won 16 draw controls to Dartmouth's nine.

All-American Caitlyn McFadden gave Maryland an early 1-0 lead at 27:16, and won the ensuing draw, but Wadland saved a free position and Kelsey Johnson (Hingham, Mass.) pushed the ball up to the offense. Dartmouth tied things up two minutes later when Dana Brisbane (Locust Valley, N.Y.) faked out her defender and beat the keeper one-on-one.

Maryland wasted little time getting two more goals, wining back-to-back draw controls to score 14 seconds apart for a 3-1 lead with 24:14 to play. Another Wadland save jumpstarted the transition game and Kat Collins (Darien, Conn.) found Greta Meyer (Denver, Colo.) for a goal to make it 3-2 with 20:00 on the clock.

The Terps rattled off five unanswered goals to go up 8-2 with 8:58 to play. That stretch was not without its big plays and controversy, however. Wadland had an impressive sequence with a point blank save on Sarah Mollison followed immediately with a save on Laura Merrifield after she scooped up the ground ball and fired. Sarah Plumb (Wellesley, Mass.) got the ground ball and possession for Dartmouth, but after a scuffle in front of the cage, possession was ultimately awarded to Maryland's Kristy Black, with Wadland placed at the top of the eight-meter with no chance to make a save, putting the Terps up 8-2.

The Big Green rallied late to score two unanswered goals first with a rocket from Plumb at 6:29. Maryland's keeper made back-to-back saves following that, preventing Dartmouth from really making some moves, though Meyer did make it an 8-4 game with 18 seconds to play off a feed from Parks. Wadland made another free position save on McFadden with less than four seconds to play in the first half.

Wadland picked up where she left off in the second half, altering a shot that hit the crossbar and making a save on Karri Ellen Johnson all within the first minute. The Terps battled to maintain possession and finally scored on their fifth straight shot when Johnson beat Wadland at 27:35.

That goal started the 8-0 run for Maryland, a stretch in which Dartmouth won just two draw controls and struggled to maintain possession, ultimately trailing 16-4 with 18:25 to play.

Freshman Courtney Bennett (Darien, Conn.) scored two goals just over four minutes apart for Dartmouth - just her second and third of the season - for a shot in the arm despite trailing 16-6 at 10:14. Maryland won the next draw control though Dartmouth did regain possession, but Terps backup goalie Mary Jordan made two saves just 44 seconds apart to keep the Big Green off the board.

Maryland took over possession at 6:43 and stalled for four minutes before Brittany Jones went to goal for the 17-6 lead. The Terps won the next draw, but Shannie MacKenzie (Riverside, Conn.) caused a turnover and grabbed her fifth ground ball of the game to start one last possession for Dartmouth. Meyer went hard to goal and fired at the buzzer, but her shot was saved.

It will be a long 32 hours as Dartmouth awaits NCAA Selection Sunday tomorrow, when the 16-team field, which includes just eight at-large bids, is announced at 10 p.m. on CBS CollegeSports television.