One No. 3 Maryland women’s lacrosse player stood out in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday.

Keeley Block earned the first and last Maryland goal of the game, earning a hat trick and scoring double the amount of any other player on the field. 

Thanks to Block and the rest of the offense’s efforts throughout the game, Maryland won against No. 20 Rutgers 11-8.

It was a lower-scoring game than the last time the two teams played. 

Maryland won against Rutgers 18-11 in the two teams’ last matchup on April 4 at SECU Stadium. 

The Terps had eight different players score during that game, and JJ Suriano had earned one of her best save percentages up to that point in the season.

After getting a bye for the first round, Maryland entered the second round of the NCAA tournament with fresh legs. This game saw the Terps earn 13 draw controls, have five total players score, and Suriano earned a solid save percentage of 55.6%, three percent higher than her percentage on April 4.

The first quarter started off promising with good performances all around, eight draw controls, and six goals in the span of 15 minutes. Less than two minutes into the game, Keeley Block scored the first goal and gave the Terps the starting energy they needed to dominate the first quarter.

By the end of the first quarter, Lauren LaPointe had already earned four points: two goals, two assists. For the offense, four different players had already scored by the end of the first quarter. They continued to find gaps in the Rutgers defense for clean, clear shots.

On the defensive end, JJ Suriano and the Terp defenders kept Rutgers to one goal the whole first quarter and earned five turnovers. Rutgers stepped up in the second quarter, winning the quarter by two goals. Sophomore attacker Hilary Elsner scored her second goal for Rutgers and earned three points.

Maryland only made two goals in the second quarter, but due to its solid score from the first quarter, it was able to maintain its established lead. With just one minute left in the second quarter, Maryland and Rutgers went back-to-back with goals.

Maisy Clevenger earned her second goal of the game and tied herself with Block and LaPointe, then, in an answer from Rutgers, Kate Theofield was assisted by Elsner for the final goal of the half.

Suriano also struggled in the second quarter, with a save percentage of 44% by the end of the first half. 

The Rutgers players found a weak spot in the left lower corner on almost no-angle shots.

The third quarter was a slow quarter for both teams, tying 2-2 goals at the end of it. Maryland still had its lead, but it had been chipped away at slowly by the Scarlet Knights, who were only three behind going into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was also slow, and the Terps almost shut out the Scarlet Knights in the fourth quarter, with less than a minute to go, Caroline Ling scored again for Rutgers.

Maryland will now advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals.

After a disappointing finish in the Big Ten Tournament championship, the Terps bounced back in Sunday.