All the Terrapins had to do was score a goal.
They managed that, but No. 1 UNC's nine-game winning streak was not blemished, as the Tar Heels downed Maryland 3-1.
UNC got on the board first when sophomore defender Catherine Reddick curved a corner kick into Maryland's box, and Alyssa Ramsey jumped up and headed the ball to the left of Terrapin goalkeeper Ali Wolff in the 5th minute.
It took 12 minutes for Maryland to attempt its first shot on UNC's goal, but the Terrapins were determined to penetrate the Tar Heels' back line.
Maryland defender Lindsay Givens' potent 40-yard throw-ins served as pseudo-corner kicks and gave the Terps optimal field position. In the 23rd minute, forward Courtney Beirne added an equalizer compliments of a Givens' free kick.
To mark the occasion, Beirne sprinted to the right sideline, picked up the corner flag, waved it in the air and stuck it in firmly back in the grass. Indeed, the goal in front of 2,728 fans at Ludwig Field was groundbreaking for the Terps.
"Every team tries to step up their play against Carolina," Beirne said.
Maryland might have increased its intensity in an attempt to down the Tar Heels (10-0, 2-0 in the ACC), but UNC ensured the Terrapins didn't completely rewrite history Friday night. Reddick set up an indirect kick in the 64th minute that Maggie Tomecka attempted to control. When three Maryland defenders pounced on Tomecka, she nudged the ball to a wide-open Susan Bush. Bush paused for only a second before she popped the ball up into the lower right corner of Maryland's goal.
"It doesn't really matter who scores," Bush said. "When you are in the situation, there's really no time to think about it.
