On April 7 in Chapel Hill, junior midfielder Kara Cannizzaro tormented Maryland, scoring five goals in a 14-11 victory against the Terrapins.
But Monday in the ACC championship game, it was the Terrapins who did the tormenting, as they passed the ball around the Tar Heels at will, stalling for three minutes before they scored a final goal to clinch a 14-10 win — their third straight championship win against the Tar Heels.
Maryland wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as Karri Ellen Johnson scored for the Terrapins just 42 seconds into the game.
But Becky Lynch said the Tar Heels didn’t let that early deficit take them out of it.
“When they score in the first minute, it’s always kind of tough, but then you have to look at the clock and realize that you still have an entire game,” Lynch said. “I don’t think that the person that scores first necessarily has an advantage.”
The Terrapins would hold the lead throughout the first half, never letting the Tar Heels gain their confidence back, and Cannizzaro couldn’t find a hole in the defense. UNC took 25 shots in the game, only 14 of which were on goal.
“They doubled her early today. We anticipated that they would do that,” coach Jenny Levy said. “We moved the ball the way we normally do, and we just didn’t get the opportunities that we were looking for.”
Maryland coach Cathy Reese said the five goals Cannizzaro scored against them earlier this month made her a priority on Monday.
“She’s somebody who’s going to come out and go hard,” Reese said. “We wanted to step up and play better one-on-one offense on her.”
UNC found opportunities with other scoring options as Jessica Griffin scored on a free-position shot with 6:10 left in the first half to reduce Maryland’s lead to 3-2. But the Terrapins responded with a goal 14 seconds later, and one more just a minute after that.
