REDEMPTION FOR NO. 7

Megan Frazer never forgot watching North Carolina celebrate its sixth national title after defeating the Terrapin field hockey team in last year's championship game.

It was an image that motivated the Terp midfielder throughout the entire season, and the memory figured prominently when the Terps went into double overtime against the Tar Heels in a national championship rematch yesterday.

With just more than two minutes left to play in the second extra frame, Frazer received a pass from forward Katie O'Donnell near the top of the shooting circle. After corralling the pass, Frazer deked around a Tar Heel defender before eventually rifling a hard, backhanded shot to the far post, beating North Carolina goalkeeper Jackie Kintzer to give the Terps a 3-2 win and a seventh national championship in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 2,381.

Frazer raised her fist in jubilation before jumping up and down with joy. O'Donnell sprinted over to her teammate and flew into her arms, while the rest of the Terps stormed the field, throwing their sticks into the air before surrounding Frazer and O'Donnell.

"I just have a picture in my mind of them winning last year," Frazer said. "I just wanted it be us so much this year. We did it, so I'm happy.

"I really don't know what happened, where I got the ball or where it came from," she said of the game-winning goal. "I just remember feeling it hit my stick and seeing it hit the backboard."

With the win yesterday, the Terps (23-1) claimed their seventh national championship and fourth in six years.

Three different players — Frazer, defender Harriet Tibble and forward Hayley Turner — scored in the game to help compensate for a surprising lack of scoring from O'Donnell, who was held without a point yesterday but made an impact nonetheless by setting up Frazer's goal.

"This year, we were the better team," coach Missy Meharg said. "They had a deep defense that statistically was holding people out. ... But we've got a lot of scoring threats."

Although the Terps left with the win, the Tar Heels (22-3) held the lead for the majority of the contest. North Carolina midfielder Marta Malmberg scored the Tar Heels' second goal of the game on a straight shot off a penalty corner in the 42nd minute.

With a one-goal deficit, the Terps tried to rally, only to be stopped by a stingy Tar Heel defense anchored by Kintzer, who finished with nine saves.

Despite being turned away initially, the Terps didn't stop their offensive pressure, realizing there was ample time for a comeback.

"They gave us the best possible lesson last year," O'Donnell said of the Terps' last-minute national championship loss in 2009. "When we went a goal down, it was like, ‘The game's not over. If they could win a game in 11.9 seconds and we still have [28] minutes left, ... we still have plenty of time to turn it around.'"

The Terps did just that in the 63rd minute, when Tibble gained possession inside North Carolina territory before dribbling around a Tar Heel defender inside the shooting circle. After a quick glance toward the goal, Tibble hit a backhanded shot from the left side that beat Kintzer to the right and tied the game at two.

"We just kept giving it what we had. We just kept going," Tibble said. "We just kept playing our game, passing it around and playing as a team. ... That's just how we play Maryland hockey, and it worked for us."

After Tibble's goal, her first of the season, both teams were held scoreless for the ensuing 30 minutes of action. But the Terps were able to break through in the 98th minute off of Frazer's shot.

"It was a sweet shot," O'Donnell said. "Backboard height, and it was just a rocket. I don't think anybody in the nation could have saved that."

For the team's three seniors — O'Donnell and defenders Alicia Morawski and Amanda Himmelheber — the championship proved a fitting ending to careers defined by success.

"I took a moment, and I just looked around," O'Donnell said. "We are definitely rivals. It's amazing. ... I couldn't have asked for a better four years and a better senior year."

TERP NOTE: Frazer, O'Donnell, Tibble and defender Lauren Barr were named to the NCAA All-Tournament team yesterday. The Terps tied the record for most games won in the NCAA Tournament with 47. The only other team with 47 wins is Old Dominion, whose nine national titles are also an NCAA-best.

jengelke@umdbk.com