Penn State women’s lacrosse lost to Maryland 21-12 in Sunday afternoon’s Big Ten championship in Ann Arbor.

The Nittany Lions haven’t beaten the Terrapins since 2005, dropping their 15th straight to one of college lacrosse’s most decorated programs. It was the third year in a row Maryland won the conference title game.

How It Happened

Sophomore attacker Maria Auth made it 1-0 Nittany Lions less than a minute into the game, but Maryland promptly went on a three-goal run to take the lead. Penn State responded with consecutive goals from Madison Carter and Shelby Wells to tie things up.

The Terrapins rattled off a 5-0 run to take a commanding 8-3 lead with 10:31 to go in the first half. Head coach Missy Doherty pulled freshman goalkeeper Lucy Lowe in favor of sophomore Madison Cunningham during the stretch. Lowe re-entered the contest late in the second half.

Carter, one of nine Nittany Lions from the state of Maryland, broke a nearly 13-minute scoring drought with her second goal of the game. The Terps would take an 11-4 lead into the locker room after more than doubling Penn State’s shot total in the first half. Carter led the team with four goals.

Senior captain Maggie Gallagher caught fire to start the second half, scoring three quick goals for the Nittany Lions, but Maryland was simply too far in front. Katie O’Donnell later found the back of the net to draw within two goals of 200 for her career. Maryland also dominated the draw control 24-10.

Player of the Game

Megan Whittle | Senior | Attacker

Maryland’s all-time leading scorer finished with a career-high eight goals in the victory. She’s now one goal shy of tying Gail Cummings-Danson (Temple) for second place in NCAA history with 289.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (10-9) await their tournament fate during Sunday night’s selection show. The 26-team field will be announced at 9:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.