Northwestern holds off Maryland

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Taylor Thornton scored twice, including the game-winning goal with 16:19 remaining and second-seeded Northwestern advanced to the national championship game with a 9-7 victory against Maryland on Friday night.

Shannon Smith took just one shot on goal, but collected four assists in the victory. She set up goals by Alex Frank, Jessica Russo, Kara Mupo and Lacey Vigmostad.
Erin Fitzgerald and Amanda Macaluso also scored for Northwestern (20-2), which will face fourth-seeded Syracuse on Sunday for its seventh title in eight years. The Orange advanced with a 14-13, double-overtime victory over top-seeded Florida in the first semifinal.

Katie Schwarzmann scored three goals for Maryland (19-4), which lost to the Wildcats in last season’s championship game. Last year, the Terrapins lost to the Wildcats after opening a three-goal lead, and they even held a slim two-goal margin early in the second half.