EVANSTON, Ill. — In a season littered with gritty, hard-fought battles, No. 3 Maryland women’s lacrosse’s season came to an end in uncharacteristic fashion.
Outplayed on both ends of the field, Maryland stumbled at the end of one of its most promising seasons in years. The Terps committed 15 turnovers and never found rhythm on offense while failing to stop key Tar Heels from attacking goalkeeper JJ Suriano.
The Terps simply had no answer for the powerhouse that is No. 2-seed North Carolina, losing
16-6 to close out their 2026 campaign.
The game began on a positive note for Maryland as two free positions — an area the Terps had struggled with all season — went their way. A Suriano save on an eight-meter attempt allowed the Terps to drive deep into North Carolina’s backfield, where Kristen Shanahan was sent to the turf on a dodge attempt.
Shanahan’s subsequent free position in the second minute of play struck true to give Maryland the opening lead. It was the first of two goals for Shanahan, who later struck the post twice in search of a hat trick.
Then, the Tar Heels lit up, powered by a blistering quick strike from sophomore Chloe Humphrey. The attacker netted three straight goals in 90 seconds, scoring first on a free-position shot with ten minutes left in the first quarter before notching another pair of open-field tallies.
North Carolina’s run was propelled by costly stickwork errors on the Terps’ offensive end. In the opening frame, Maryland committed four turnovers to the Tar Heels’ one. A key giveaway from Lexi Dupcak in transition gave Humphrey a wide-open breakaway opportunity in the fifth minute of play, which she netted to give North Carolina its first lead of the game.
The Tar Heels are renowned for their high-volume shooting — entering Friday, they led the ACC with 34.7 shots per game. Suriano was consistently peppered in the cage, facing 27 shots on target. The netminder finished the contest with 11 saves, slowly faltering in the face of North Carolina’s massive production.
Many of those shots came from unforced errors. After a goal from Lauren LaPointe tied the game three minutes into the second quarter, the Tar Heels launched a 5-0 run. All but one of those scores came on a woman-up or free-position opportunity — the Terps committed five fouls in the second period while their opponents stayed clean.
LaPointe managed to stop the bleeding with a scoop-and-score on a loose ball in the arc with just 13 seconds left in the half. But the damage was already done; Maryland trudged to the locker room down four goals with 30 minutes to go.
After being pulled from the Terps’ quarterfinal game against Navy with a left knee injury, Kennedy Major returned Friday with tape smothering her left leg. However, she appeared far from healthy, as she moved gingerly across the field and was relegated to covering secondary attackers.
That proved costly for the Terps, as Tar Heel Addison Patillo jammed home her second goal of the season just 79 seconds into the second half while marked by junior Annabella Schafer. Patillo found nylon five times, taking advantage of favorable one-on-one matchups throughout the contest.
While flaws in Maryland’s man-to-man concept were laid bare by North Carolina, the Tar Heels’ pressing defense succeeded in limiting distribution and diverse scoring. The Tar Heels were particularly adept at silencing Kori Edmondson, who logged her first shot and goal nearly 32 minutes into the game. North Carolina’s man-to-man set also forced the Terps into a plethora of bad looks, with just over half of their shots directed at the cage.
After Edmondson’s score, the Tar Heels scored seven consecutive goals, extending their lead to 11. Maryland simply had no answer for the firepower it faced. A late Lexi Dupcak consolation after the running clock was instituted became the last action of the game as North Carolina cruised to the national title game.
Three things to know
1. The chase continues. With Friday’s defeat, Maryland’s streak of seasons without a national finals appearance extends to seven. While the Terps lead the nation with 29 semifinal appearances since 1984, the loss also marked the 15th time the Terps have fallen short in that round.
2. Shooting struggles. A large proponent behind Maryland’s lack of offensive output was its lack of total shots. The Terps looked unlike themselves offensively, failing to produce just one shot on several possessions and finishing with only 23 total shots and 12 on goal. This deficiency contributed to Maryland’s unsuccessful attack Friday — it went nearly 28 minutes scoreless in the second half.
3. Final thoughts. With 12 players exiting College Park this offseason, head coach Cathy Reese will have to rebuild large portions of her roster from the ground up. Key additions in the transfer portal proved vital for the Terps this season, as they look to bring in high-value replacements in the coming months.
