COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 2 women's lacrosse team scored 14 goals in the second half to burst past Johns Hopkins, 18-12, on Tuesday afternoon at the Field & Lacrosse Complex.

Maryland (15-0, 4-0 ACC) headed into halftime down for the first time this season as JHU led 5-4 after the first period. The Blue Jays scored first three minutes into the game before an Amanda Spinnenweber free position goal tied the score. Karri Ellen Johnson connected on an assist from Caitlyn McFadden in midair for a Maryland lead near the 20-minute mark. After another Hopkins score, Spinnenweber found the back of the net at 14:54 to give the lead back to Maryland.

The Blue Jays rallied to close out the first period with three goals to provide JHU with its largest lead of the contest. Spinnenweber nailed her third goal of the period with three seconds remaining to leave the score at 5-4 heading into the half.

JHU's Gina Maranto put the Blue Jays on the board first in the second period but the lead would be short-lived. Maryland finally found its offensive stride with 28 minutes left as Laura Merrifield's free position hit sparked a five-goal rally for the Terps. Johnson and Merrifield netted two goals apiece while McFadden chipped in a goal to round out the run. Candace Rossi attempted to bring the Terrapin attack to a halt with a goal at 18:16 but Maryland tacked on two more to extend the lead to four.

After another Blue Jay free position goal, Brandi Jones nailed an 8-meter and Sarah Mollison and McFadden added goals for a 14-8 score. The Terps outscored Johns Hopkins 4-3 down the stretch to seal Maryland's 15th win of the year.

"We came out slow and it was a little frustrating," head coach Cathy Reese said. "But I'm proud of how we came out in the second half. Our shooting percentage really went up in the second...we were able to limit their opportunities, which I was happy about."

Johnson, the reigning ACC Player of the Week, scored a game-high five goals to pace the offense which saw eight different Terps score. The freshman added four draw controls as Maryland topped the Blue Jays in draws (18-14) and shots (37-17).

The Terps will close out the ACC regular season with a match at Virginia Tech on Friday.

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COLLEGE PARK, MD - The second-ranked Maryland Terrapins showed why they were unbeaten coming into Tuesday's contest, as they outscored visiting Johns Hopkins 14-7 in the second half, en route to an 18-12 win. Hopkins slips to 5-9 on the season while Maryland improves to 15-0. Junior Brett Bathras (Severna Park, MD/Severn) paced the Blue Jays' offense with five points on one goal and a career-high four assists.

Coming out of the half with a 5-4 lead, Hopkins needed just 91 seconds to make it a two-goal game as it capitalized in transition. After a Julianne Wisner (Parkton, MD/Notre Dame Prep) save, the Blue Jays quickly cleared the ball. Junior Angela Hughes (Manchester, MD/North Carroll) carried into the offensive zone and dished to senior Gina Maranto (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) who spun around her defender and scored on a low shot.

Maryland answered with a 5-0 run as the Terps turned a two-goal deficit into a three-goal lead at 9-6. Laura Merrifield got things going just 24 seconds after Maranto's strike with a free position goal. Karri Ellen Johnson then scored back-to-back goals to give Maryland its first lead since 14:54 in the first half. Caitlyn McFAdden followed with an unassisted shot before Merrifield closed out the run with her second of the day.

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2009-04-14