No. 3-seed Maryland women’s lacrosse had its sights set on an NCAA Tournament semifinal appearance for the first time since 2022. But trailing 10-9 in the fourth quarter against No. 6-seed Navy, those chances looked dim.

The Terps desperately needed a response. They got it from Lauren LaPointe. The standout junior attacker entered with just seven goals in the last four games, but she made her presence felt in the final period.

Nearly two minutes after Navy snatched the lead back, LaPointe brought Maryland level. She added her third goal of the game and 12th hat trick of the season to further the Terps’ advantage. That was the exclamation point on Maryland’s late run.

Behind LaPointe’s resurgence and winning the final five draw controls, the Terps’ fourth-quarter surge culminated in five unanswered goals. Maryland never looked back, winning 14-10 over Navy on Thursday to advance to Chicago, Illinois.

“I thought we did a really nice job of just moving the ball and being sharp and not taking dumb shots,” head coach Cathy Reese said. “I thought we worked for some really good looks, and the ones we took were great.”

Maryland’s draw control unit was thoroughly dominated for 45 minutes. It won just four of the first 21 draw controls and simply couldn’t allow the offense to get into a groove.

But when it mattered most, Kayla Gilmore rose to the occasion. The Terps’ lead draw specialist helped corral five consecutive draw controls after being pulled from the circle earlier in the fourth quarter.

“We struggled for a majority of the game. We tried to switch things up, and that didn’t make a change,” Reese said. “[Kayla’s] such a remarkable player. She studies the draw and to give her time to figure things out against a player of Murphy’s caliber was just what she needed.”

Her impact wasn’t just limited to the draws. After Kori Edmondson scooped up the loose ball, Gilmore recorded her second goal of the game. Lauren LaPointe connected with Gilmore on the doorstep and she buried it to give Maryland a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

While the Terps largely dominated the game’s opening minutes, Navy goalie Felicia Giglio was up for the challenge. She stopped shots on three consecutive possessions, leading to Maryland’s 10-minute scoring drought.

Instead, Navy broke the deadlock. Tewaaraton Award finalist Alyssa Chung found a sliver of space and fired home her 79th goal of the season — the nation’s third-most goals behind Chloe Humphrey and Madison Taylor.

Chung was just beginning. The sophomore attacker contributed to five of Navy’s six first-half goals and scored a hat trick early in the second quarter. She finished with a game-high six goals to spearhead Navy’s attack.

But Maryland had a timely response after Chung’s opening score. 

Kori Edmondson weaved her way through multiple defenders and rifled it over Giglio’s head. Two minutes later, Kristen Shanahan wrapped around the cage and buried it into the near post to give Maryland the lead.

Keeley Block laced the top corner of the goal to cap off Maryland’s 3-1 first-quarter advantage. Kayla Gilmore added a free position goal, making it four unanswered scores for the Terps. Then, the momentum swung in Navy’s favor as Chung’s takeover continued.  

While Maryland was outmatched in the draw circle for just the third time all season — it controlled just 17 of the 26 — the Terps were able to withstand Navy’s extra opportunities. Maryland forced five first-half turnovers and JJ Suriano notched five stops.

Those empty possessions allowed the Terps to restore their three-goal lead in a two-minute span. Jordyn Lipkin and LaPointe marked six different goalscorers within Maryland’s seven first-half goals.

“I love that we can really rely on anyone on the field. There’s no one that’s on the field that doesn’t have a specific role or an important role on the field,” LaPointe said. “I think having all these different goalscorers really shows how we gel as an offense.”

But Chung single-handedly kept Navy in the game and limited the Terps’ halftime advantage to one. 

The Midshipmen strung together their own run out of the break. Chloe Brown and a pair of goals from Chung allowed Navy to erase their deficit and give it a lead for the first time in 30 minutes. That advantage was relatively short-lived, though.

Keeley Block scored on Maryland’s final possession of the third quarter to make it tied at nine heading into the final period. It was anyone’s game.

However, the Terps’ experience in close games shone through. Maryland scored the final five goals and held Navy scoreless in the final 14 minutes. 

“I think this is the hungriest team I’ve ever been on,” Suriano said. “It’s just so exciting to see that all the work that we put in … [and] all the pieces get put together.”