Northwestern, Md. go for title

TOWSON, Md. - Maryland advanced to the NCAA women's lacrosse championship game for the 15th time, defeating Syracuse, 14-5, Friday night with a dominating performance on both ends of the field.

The victory moved Maryland (21-1) within one win of its 10th NCAA title, the first since 2001. On Sunday, the Terrapins will face five-time defending champion Northwestern, which survived a strong challenge to avenge its only loss of the season by defeating North Carolina, 15-10.

The two semifinal games drew a crowd of 8,762, the largest to watch a women's lacrosse game in U.S. history.

The UNC-Northwestern game was a rematch of last year's championship, won 21-7 by the Wildcats. Last month, however, the Tar Heels (17-3) beat Northwestern in an 18-16 shoot-out.

After a 4-4 first half, the second half turned into a back-and-forth affair not unlike a basketball game. There was plenty of one-on-one action, which led to an astounding 14 straight unassisted goals.

In the Maryland-Syracuse game, Caitlyn McFadden scored four goals for the Terrapins, who are now 10-0 against Syracuse in a series that began in 1998. The teams last met in the 2009 quarterfinal round.