The Tar Heels rush the field after defeating Maryland, 13-12, in triple overtime. It was the longest NCAA championship ever.
that might tire them out. Senior midfielder Jessica Griffin updated her blog. Coach Jenny Levy went to Starbucks and read “Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable,” a motivational book, on her iPad. Cannizzaro and fellow senior Emily Garrity plopped on their hotel beds with their legs elevated and turned on “The Fast and the Furious.” “We weren’t even speaking or watching the TV, just
starting at the ceiling counting down the minutes,” Cannizzaro said. “And they were going so slow.” Time sped up once the game started. The Tar Heels led by as many as three goals against Maryland, the ACC foe that beat North Carolina twice earlier in the season. But the Terps forced overtime. It looked like the Tar Heels, who since debuting in 1996 had advanced to seven final fours but never won it all, were on the ropes.
In retrospect, Cannizzaro told us all exactly how it was going to happen. Freshman goalie Megan Ward already shocked the lacrosse world twice over, first by winning her job over two-year starter Lauren Maksym, then with a lights-out seven-save performance in North Carolina’s 11-4 semifinal upset of Northwestern. Only Cannizzaro wasn’t shocked at all. “After shooting on Megan all year, and having her stuff a lot of my shots, I have the confidence that if I get beat, or if I give up a good shot, Megan’s going to come up with a huge save, no matter who’s shooting, no matter where they’re shooting from,” she said of Ward after the semifinal.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
Freshman goalie Megan Ward made three overtime saves, the last of which set up Sammy Jo Tracy’s game- winning goal.
Two days later, the who was Maryland’s Brooke Griffin, a sophomore midfielder who shot better than 55 percent and earlier scored on a dazzling low-to-high riser during the Terps’ rally to tie the game.
The where was five yards out from the crease, on the kind of lethal fast break Maryland rode to a 22-0 record, fifth straight ACC title and No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The when was in double overtime, the 72nd minute of the longest NCAA championship game in history. After a listless performance in regulation, Maryland goalie Kasey Howard came alive in overtime, making four saves, including two on Cannizzaro, the Tar Heels’ leading scorer. Cannizzaro pounded her fist on the turf in frustration after
July 2013 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 45
©LEE WEISSMAN
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