M is for Megan: Maryland’s leading scorer for the third straight year is Megan Whittle (66 goals). The junior attacker leads a balanced offense that features six scorers with at least 30 goals and four with at least 49 tallies. Whittle is efficient from the 8-meter (24 tallies) and has bumped up her distribution with a career-high 14 assists, which is four more than she had in her first two years.
N is for Navy: The Mids make their championship weekend debut against fellow debutante Boston College. Their game against BC guarantees an unseeded team plays for the championship for the first time since seeds were introduced.
O is for Offense: The possession clock and high-tempo teams should produce some appealing goal scoring this weekend. All four teams rank in the top 14 in scoring offense with three of them in the top 10: Maryland (first, 16.86 goals per game), Boston College (seventh, 15.64), Navy (ninth, 15.59) and Penn State (14th, 14.65).
P is for Penn State: The Nittany Lions are back. Is this the year that Penn State exorcises its demons and vanquishes its long-time rival? The past two postseason runs have ended at the hands of North Carolina and now top-seeded Maryland stands in the way. Penn State has played the Terps tough, with the past three games decided by a total of six goals.
Q is for Quintet: Maryland has a stable of IWLCA All-Americans: Zoe Stukenberg, Nadine Hadnagy, Megan Taylor, Megan Whittle and Caroline Wannen. Stukenberg has her eye on the Tewaaraton Award as she was named a finalist alongside fellow finalist Hadnagy.
R is for Return Trip: Penn State is making back-to-back semifinals appearances for the first time since 1988-89 when the Nittany Lions won their last national title. Additionally, Maryland is in the semifinals for the ninth straight season.
S is for Smucker, Schmidt and Spilker: What may sound like the name of a law firm, Penn State’s senior corps of Abby Smucker, Natalie Schmidt and Erika Spilker don’t always fill up the stat sheet, but they represent the leadership and consistency the Nittany Lions rely on from a defensive perspective. Moreover, Smucker is a versatile player who can make game-changing plays at either end of the field.