ANNAPOLIS, Md.
Kristen Burke, a senior attacker on the Penn State women's lacrosse team, soaked in the congratulations and the popping of camera flash lenses in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Finally, her dream had come true.
"I always hoped to beat the Terps once in my four years," she said.
Those would be the Maryland Terrapins, the same program that has dominated Penn State, and pretty much every other program in the country, since the start of the 1990s.
Penn State's 13-12 win Friday on the first day of the ACC-ALC Challenge proved that the Lions can hang with the big girls.
Of course, Penn State had knocked off the No. 1 team in the country on back-to-back weekends (Virginia and Princeton) on those squads' home turf.
But there was something different about this one. Maybe it's because it was Maryland, which surpassed Penn State as the queen of the lacrosse pitch in the last two decades, a program that owns 10 NCAA titles and five Atlantic Coast Conference crowns.
Maybe it's because it was done on the home turf of many of these players -- 11 of Penn State's 25 players, as well as coach Suzanne Isidor, hail from this state.
Maybe a 14-year losing streak to Maryland (Penn State's last win was in 1991) was getting really old.
Any way you slice it, this win meant a lot.
"We have a lot of Maryland kids on the team. A lot of kids looked at the University of Maryland when looking at schools," Isidor said. "Playing in Annapolis was nice. They had an extra spring in their step."
In addition to being the home state of a good chunk of the Lions' roster, Maryland is one of lacrosse's fertile grounds.
The sport may have been born and bred in Canada, but this is where it's worshipped. Almost every town has a youth program. Almost every high school has a team. And almost every college in the state plays Division I lacrosse -- yes, even Johns Hopkins, better known for pumping out doctors than jocks.
Last year's men's national championship match, played at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium, drew nearly 44,000. The NCAA knows a good thing when it sees it, evident in that it chose Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to host the women's national championship in May.
The Maryland women's program has used that passion for the sport as the backbone of its success.
The Terps won seven straight NCAA titles from 1995 to 2001 and never missed the championship game between 1990 and 2001. If "dominant" needed a photo illustration in the dictionary, Maryland would be featured.
That stretch coincided with the beginning of Maryland's extensive winning streak against Penn State. Burke, who was raised about a half-hour from Maryland's campus, saw it first-hand.
"I grew up watching the Terps and always respected the program," she said.
At the same time, the Lions' program was slipping from its previous run of excellence that produced five national championships between 1978 and 1989. Prospective college players started looking at Maryland as the dominant force in the country.
Even though Maryland has slid back to the pack in recent years -- the Terps haven't made the finals since their last title in 2001 -- there's still a big target on its back.
"We talked about it all day," Burke said. "Penn State hadn't beat Maryland in 15 years. It's our time.
"This game was huge. I thought it could make or break our season."
Senior goalkeeper Lee Tortorelli agreed: "We came in here with high expectations. ... We knew we wanted to start a new tradition and break the steak," she said.
Of course, breaking that streak is just one part of the Lions' goals. They want to bring the program back to the elite level and reach the Final Four for the first time in six years.
"The seniors met before coming out here knowing the Final Four is here," Tortorelli said. "We stepped onto the field knowing we want to be back."
Isidor, an Annapolis native, wouldn't mind making a return trip, either.
"I always love coming back to Annapolis," Isidor said. "Family and friends are here. This setting is great.
"I'd like to be back here in May."
It might not be far-fetched.
