Maryland the favorite vs. North Carolina in NCAA women's lacrosse final

Maryland women's lacrosse coach Cathy Reese didn't watch a second of North Carolina's win over Duke on Saturday, but still knows what kind of defense her Terrapins are about to face from the Tar Heels.

Top-seeded Maryland is the clear-cut favorite to beat North Carolina in the NCAA championship game at 8:30 p.m. Sunday at PPL Park in Chester, but the Tar Heels defense is the biggest thing standing between the Terps and back-to-back national titles.

These same teams met for the title in 2013 at Villanova, where second-seeded North Carolina needed three overtimes to edge the Terrapins, 13-12.

"I know they're very aggressive and they're very athletic," Reese said. "We need to be able to handle the pressure, expect a very physical game, and need to make sure that our offense is all working off ball, as well."

In the 16-7 semifinal win, North Carolina (18-3) pressed up on Duke's dodge-happy attack, and the Blue Devils never adjusted. Syracuse tried to do the same against the Terrapins (20-1), but Maryland midfielder Taylor Cummings orchestrated a tactical shift that led her team to a 10-8 win.

Cummings, who is second in the country with 95 points this season, embraced the Orange's pressure away from the goal and fed to teammates instead of attacking herself. She finished with two goals and four assists for a game-high six points, turning the tight pressure into a team advantage.

"They'd double certain people when we were driving," Cummings said.

Maryland expects North Carolina to come out with a similar defensive approach. And if the Tar Heels are to ride their defense to an upset of Maryland, it will start with slowing down Cummings.

"You don't see it as, you're facing one of the best players in the country," said UNC defender Margaret Corzel, a Berwyn native who went to Merion Mercy Academy, "because we're one of the best defenses in the country. We like challenges."