I never thought that a Maryland-Northwestern game could have any kind of anticlimactic feel to it, but after Syracuse erased a seven-goal deficit to beat Florida in double overtime in what is one of the more dramatic finishes to a game in recent memory, that?s almost what this game seemed like.
The Terps got off to a quick start, scoring their first goal just 11 seconds into the game, but cooled a bit after that. Northwestern bested the Terps 9-7 to earn their eighth straight championship game appearance. The run ties the one Maryland made from 1994-2001.
Here?s how the Wildcats came out with the victory:
1. They Won Draws
This alone impacted the game more than anything else. Coaches always emphasize how important the draw and possession is and this game was a perfect example of it. Northwestern held a slight advantage on the draw circle in the first half, winning six to Maryland?s four, but it was in the second half where this possession battle really came into play as the Wildcats won seven to the Terps? one and dominated possession time.
Northwestern won the draw with both Tewaaraton finalist Taylor Thornton using her height and wingspan to come up with balls on the circle and Alyssa Leonard, who takes the draw, getting it to her own stick.
After losing the draw battle to Florida 18-5 in the ALC championship game ? and losing the game in the process ? Northwestern refocused and put extra time into making the draw a stronger part of their game. Leonard, Thornton and Gabriella Flibotte, who also plays on the circle, spent hours before and after practice working together to box out and get the ball in their stick.
?We really committed to it and we practiced and practiced and practiced and I give a lot of credit to Alyssa Leonard,? said Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. ?She took it to heart and took it really seriously and Taylor did a really great job. Winning the draws 13-5 was huge.?
2. They Got Timely Saves from Brianne LoManto
LoManto?s save numbers don?t necessarily jump off the stats in this game, (five saves) but she was extremely important to the Wildcat defense and creating momentum at key points throughout the game.
Maryland has a roster full of talented shooters and the Terps are generally pretty good at getting a stick fake in to move the goalie, particularly when they?re on the crease. LoManto?s presence in cage Friday night can not go overlooked as she turned Maryland away on critical point blank scoring opportunities.
?One of the things I?ve learned in the 10 years I?ve played goalie is that sometimes it?s not how many you have in a game, it?s when you have the saves,? LoManto said. ?I was trying to stay patient and confident. I know what I can do. Our defense played extremely well. They were giving up low angle shots. I could have done better with eight meters but they had my back and when maybe they let a girl up on the crease, I was able to have their back. It was important to making those saves at critical moments.?
3. Maryland Couldn?t Finish On Their Chances
A lack of possession and struggles finishing often go hand-in-hand as an offense that goes without the ball for extended periods of time tends to rush and make bad decisions when they finally do get the ball. This happened a few times to the Terps in the second half as they would get the ball in on offense only to immediately throw it away on a bad pass or by going to goal on the first scoring chance rather than being patient and waiting for the right one.
?The one thing we should have done a better job of was finishing the opportunities that we had,? Maryland coach Cathy Reese said. ?We had great looks on goal. We really did and we didn?t finish them. That?s something that seems so easy to say, but in the moment, we fell short in that area and without having possession off the draw or finishing your shots, that?s not a good combination.?
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