Terrapins Stop Tar Heels

That's because most of the balls the two-time national player of the year fires at the net go in.

But before Adams made the game-winning shot in the top-ranked Terrapins 8-7 defeat of No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday at Ludwig Field, she held her breath for a moment.

With 7:31 remaining in the second half, Maryland attacker Allison Comito fed Adams a pass that flew high above her stick. Adams leapt into the air, caught the ball, shot it past Tar Heel goalie Melissa Coyne and clinched the Maryland win.

"It was a leap of faith on that one," said Adams, who scored five times. "I was like, 'Jump and pray. Just catch the ball and try to put it in.' Nothing special."

Nothing special at all.

Maryland struggled to rev up its offensive engines without a goal from its most powerful offensive threat. UNC's defense kept Adams quiet and held her scoreless for the first 14:10 of the first half.

It wasn't until the Tar Heels (2-1, 0-1 in the ACC) built a three-goal lead fueled by midfielder Amy Havrilla that Adams woke up from her scoreless slumber.

With 6:45 left in the first half, Maryland's 6-foot-2 defender Tori Wellington slammed into Tar Heel midfielder Christine McPike, who temporarily left the game.

Less than a minute after McPike's exit, Adams, the Terrapins' all-time leading scorer with 188 goals, racked up her first goal of the day. Moments later, she scored again, shrinking the Tar Heels' lead to one.

"Maryland is really gimmicky and tricky," North Carolina coach Jenny Slingluff Levy said. "They are really good with their sticks and you can't allow anything on the inside."

Adams' two goals helped the Terrapin offense find their rhythm. Comito tied the match with 3:11 remaining, and with six seconds left in the half, Adams scored on a breakaway to give Maryland a 6-5 advantage at the break.

Finishing shots proved to be more of a challenge for UNC in the second half. Maryland goalie Alexis Venechanos, starting for only the second time in her career, didn't stop any shots during the first half, but she kept six close-range shots out of the net during the second.

UNC attacker Kellie Thompson had scored at least five goals in every game this season, but she was scoreless Sunday.

"We had our opportunities," Thompson said. "We had spurts where the offense was coming on strong."

With the Terrapins hanging on to their one-goal lead, the Tar Heels gave them a scare with 15 seconds left in the match. Amy Havrilla had an opportunity to tie the game with a free position shot. But she missed and the Terps' win was secure.

"Although it comes down to one last shot to be the hero, it's really the culmination of the whole game," Slingluff Levy said.

The Tar Heels fared better Friday against No. 17 Johns Hopkins , winning decisively 15-5. UNC racked up nine unanswered goals to come back from a three-point deficit.

But it had no answer for the six-time defending national champions Sunday.

"We were definitely the underdogs coming in against Maryland," Coyne said. "We're disappointed because we wanted the win, but we learned a hell of a lot about our fight."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.