By Victoria Ebner

The Maryland Terrapins defeated the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday 3-2, leading them to advance to the final four in Louisville.

Just over a minute into the game, Duke used its speed and tenacity to achieve its first goal, a hard backhand shot right in front of the cage.

The Blue Devils tried again at the goal at the five-minute mark with their first corner, but their shot attempt was blocked by Maryland defense.

Slowly warming up to Duke’s energy, the Terps’ first penalty corner came a few minutes later, resulting in a shot by sophomore defender Bodil Keus that was saved by Duke’s goalie.

Maryland continued to become more aggressive throughout the first half, swarming Duke’s offense with suffocating defense. Senior defender Carrie Hanks and sophomore defender Bodil Keus collaborated in the back to switch the field, attempting to maintain possession by holding off their opponents.

Their tactics worked, as the Terps were finally able to find the back of the cage after freshman midfielder Kyler Greenwalt tipped in a pass from sophomore midfielder Madison MaGuire.

The scoreboard tied, both teams became more aggressive on their attacks. After lots of back and forth circle play, the half ended with a cumulative count of four shots for Duke and two for Maryland, with each team earning one corner.

Duke seemed to dominate the second half early, upping the score to 2-1 after a spin move around the goalie was able to find its way into the cage. Its momentum only increased, with two more shots, one defensively blocked by Hanks, and a penalty corner within the next three minutes.

Yet, Maryland refused to give up their pressure, creeping closer and closer to the cage. With just seven minutes left, sophomore defender Bodil Keus dragged the ball high into the goal off a penalty corner, evened the scoreboard.

Not two minutes later, junior forward Linnea Gonzales scored the game-winner, deflecting a pass by senior midfielder Lein Holsboer into the upper corner of the goal.

Maryland ended with a count of six shots and two corners, with Duke tallying 10 shots and three corners.

The Terps will play Big Ten rival Michigan on Friday with a chance to advance to the national championship game on Sunday, against either UConn or North Carolina.