Maryland wins 14th national title in women’s lacrosse

BALTIMORE (AP) — Brindi Griffin and Grace Griffin each scored three goals and Maryland won its 14th national championship in women’s lacrosse with a 12-10 victory over Boston College on Sunday at Johns Hopkins.

Caroline Steele added two goals for Terrapins, who were appearing in the title game for the sixth time in seven years.

Megan Taylor, only the second goalie ever to be a finalist for Player of the Year in women’s lacrosse, finished with 10 saves for Maryland (22-1).

Kenzie Kent had five goals and assist for Boston College (22-2).

Sam Apuzzo added three goals and an assist for the Eagles, who were playing in their third straight NCAA national championship game. The Eagles also lost to Maryland 16-13 in 2017 and fell to James Madison 16-15 last season.

Grace Griffin’s third goal gave Maryland a 10-5 lead with just over 20 minutes left in the game. The Eagles later pulled within 11-8 on a goal by Apuzzo with 12:30 remaining.

However, Jen Giles scored twice to give the Terrapins insurance. Kent scored her fifth goal with 3:30 remaining that cut the margin to 12-10, but that was as close as Boston College would get.

Maryland’s Cathy Reese, who was selected as the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the fourth time in five years, picked up her 301st win.

Maryland improved to 14-1 all-time against Boston College. The Eagles’ only victory came last year in the national semifinals, ending the Terrapins’ streak of five consecutive appearances in the title game.

A pair of consecutive goals by Brindi Griffin gave Maryland an 8-3 lead with 3:12 left in the first half.

The Terrapins’ defense was dominant and caused four turnovers in the opening 30 minutes.

The announced attendance was 9,433, the fourth-highest attendance for an NCAA championship game.