Cummings comes up big for Terps

Taylor Cummings postgame cool down was repeatedly interrupted.

Multiple teammates patted her back and offered high-fives as she jogged from sideline to sideline. When she walked toward the team's stretching circle she was blocked by a group of Maryland players who smothered her into a group hug.

They were all thanking Cummings for her six points and five draw controls in the Terps' 10-8 semifinal win over Syracuse at PPL Park on Friday.

The win puts top-ranked Maryland (20-1, 5-0 Big Ten) in a national championship matchup with North Carolina on Sunday, where the Terrapins will look to win a second straight NCAA title.

"If you don't go to her, she's just going to go to the net and score some goals," Syracuse coach Gary Gait said of Cummings. "So you send doubles and she did a good job keeping her head up and moving the ball."

Syracuse was trying to choose the lesser of two evils with Cummings. But there were no twin devils, as Cummings helped the Terrapins win 14 of 20 draw controls while feeding her teammates on the offensive end.

The Orange (16-8, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) hung in the game by netting five goals on five shots on goal in the first half, but never got closer than two goals in the last 28 minutes, 21 seconds. And after Syracuse cut Maryland's lead to two goals with 7:18 left, the Terrapins slowly ran out the clock.

"I hate holding the ball, I'll be the first to talk about that any time," Maryland coach Cathy Reese said.

But it was holding the ball that turned Cummings complete performance into a rematch with the Tar Heels, who beat the Terrapins in the national championship two years ago.