No. 3-seed Maryland women’s lacrosse didn’t have an answer for No. 2-seed North Carolina’s Chloe Humphrey on Friday.
The 2025 Tewaaraton Award winner — who entered the contest with a nation-leading 102 goals — overwhelmed the Terps’ typically stout defense. Humphrey scored North Carolina’s first three goals and finished tied for a team-high five goals.
Despite a 3-3 tied game early in the second quarter, the Tar Heels scored five consecutive goals to close out the first half. Maryland couldn’t string together the necessary stops to claw back into the game, ultimately falling 16-6 in the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
The Terps’ run to Chicago, Illinois, marked the program’s first championship weekend appearance in four years. But they were simply outmatched, ending their season in blowout fashion.
The scoring duo of Addison Pattillo and Humphrey netted 10 goals of the team’s total 16 goals, allowing the Tar Heels to dominate offensively. While JJ Suriano stood tall with seven first-half stops, she was overwhelmed with traffic in front of her cage.
The Tar Heels attacked downhill with ease, allowing them to create 27 shots on goal.
Maryland’s errant passes didn’t help either, limiting its offensive possessions. Even when the Terps found a sliver of open space, their shots rarely troubled North Carolina’s goalkeeping duo of Lexi Zenk and Betty Nelson. They only needed to log six saves.
Maryland produced 23 shots, but only scored six goals, resulting in a team shot percentage of 26.1%. Only four Terps netted a goal across the 60 minutes. Kristen Shanahan scored two goals, and the usual top scorer, Lauren LaPointe, also scored a brace.
While North Carolina led 8-4 at halftime, it broke away in the second half. Maryland only scored twice across the entirety of the second half and manufactured seven shots on goal.
In the third quarter, the Tar Heels scored five goals while the Terps only scored one, and they continued that into the fourth quarter with three goals.
The Tar Heels ended the first half with double Maryland’s goals despite its defensive efforts. Suriano ended the half with seven saves against North Carolina’s 15 shots on goal.
Two minutes into the game, Suriano notched the first stop of the game on a free position shot.
The first quarter gave Maryland a glimpse of hope for the game; they only trailed by one goal going into the second quarter, 3-2.
Humphrey scored all three of the Tar Heels goals, but her impact was not limited in the goal total. She added an assist later in the fourth quarter to produce a game-high six points.
However, it was Maryland that started the scoring. Kristen Shanahan had the first goal of the game, finding success on a free position, contrasting the Tar Heels’ fumble with their first eight-meter opportunity.
Humphrey didn’t allow the Terps to have the lead for very long, with back-to-back goals in 25 seconds.
The second quarter was all North Carolina, scoring five goals while Maryland only produced two. Of those five goals, Kate Levy scored two, having her moment to shine amid Humphrey’s overall shooting success.
Levy’s success was part of North Carolina’s supporting cast that shined in the final three quarters. Pattillo recorded five goals on only seven shots, highlighting her potent capability.
In the second quarter, the team had a shooting percentage of 53.3% and had 20 shots, while Maryland only had 11 shots by halftime.
North Carolina had a persistent defensive ride that allowed them to continually cause turnovers and slow Maryland’s offensive possessions. They routinely killed any Terps’ momentum.
15 Maryland turnovers alongside North Carolina’s 11 free position looks were ultimately too much for the Terps to overcome.
