BALTIMORE (AP) — The Maryland women's lacrosse team has set a high bar and continued to distance itself from the rest of the field this weekend en route to another title.
Brindi Griffin and Grace Griffin each scored three goals and Maryland won its 14th national championship with a 12-10 victory over Boston College on Sunday at Johns Hopkins.
"It's a great day to be a Terp," Maryland coach Cathy Reese said. "I couldn't be more proud of this team that I had this season. I couldn't have enjoyed coaching any more than I did. It's been such an adventure."
Caroline Steele added two goals for the 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). Taylor was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
"She was fantastic and made some unbelievable saves to anchor our defense, which I think played the best it has all season, especially against an offense that has been as high scoring as Boston College has been this year," Reese said.
Kenzie Kent had five goals and an 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.
"It's a disappointing day for the program," Boston College coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein said. "It was a really good game by Maryland. I am really proud of my kids."
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 some 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.
"This season in particular has been such an amazing time," Giles said. "We're such a family. We started Day 1 working together and playing for each other."
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.
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.
