The Maryland Charm punched their ticket to the WLL Championship Game in Philadelphia Friday night, holding off the Boston Guard 21–17 at Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium in Fairfield, Conn., to clinch a spot in next month's title game.
Maryland's path to the championship ran through a slow third quarter and a dominant response. The Charm led 11–5 at halftime after a blistering second quarter that saw them outscore Boston 7–4, but a 6–3 Guard run in the third cut the margin to 14–11 heading into the fourth. Maryland answered with seven goals in the final period to put it away.
Brigid Duffy was the leader for Maryland offensively, posting 10 points on seven goals and three assists. Ashley Humphrey and Sydni Black had seven points each and Ally Kennedy and Sam Appuzo added six apeice.
The Charm shot 48 percent on 44 attempts. Boston won the draw battle convincingly — Maddie Epke went 26-for-40 at 65 percent, compared to Chase Boyle's 9-for-25 for Maryland — but the possession advantage couldn't compensate for a 10-point shooting efficiency gap. Caylee Waters made eight saves in net for Maryland.
The Charm finish the regular season 3–1. The WLL Championship Game is scheduled August 15 in Philadelphia.