STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Boston College coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein is still amazed by standout junior Sam Apuzzo, a player she’s watched flourish into a team leader during a Tewaaraton-worthy season.

After Apuzzo struggled throughout the first half of Friday night’s NCAA semifinal against top-seeded Maryland, she tallied three of her four goals in the second half – including the final two goals of the game – to spur No. 4 Boston College to a thrilling 15-13 win over the defending national champion.

Now, Boston College will play No. 3 James Madison on Sunday at noon for a national championship.

“I think my favorite thing is she never goes away, really,” Walker-Weinstein said. “She was not playing well in the first half, and I said to her, ‘Listen, Sam, you’re born for this. This is what you were made for, this moment.’ She just never goes away. She came out and scored a couple quick goals, and she’s really a clutch player.”

The go-ahead goal brought the 7,524 packed into Stony Brook’s LaValle Stadium to their feet. Behind the cage with Grace Griffin in her face, Apuzzo jabbed left and right, tripping Griffin up in the cage's netting and sending her to the ground.

Apuzzo’s subsequent crease roll and score gave Boston College a 14-13 lead, but she wasn’t done yet. The native of West Babylon, New York, just a short drive from Stony Brook, won the next draw and eventually scored again for Boston College’s first two-goal advantage of the evening.

“We’ve been working on dodging from behind this whole week, so when I got the ball, I just knew that was my job to do,” she said. “After that goal, it definitely added to the momentum going forward, because we were kind of rolling at that point.”

Sam Apuzzo's fancy footwork gets her the goal and the lead for @BCwlax with under 10 minutes to play. #SCTop10#NCAAWLAX 2H | BC 14 | MD 13 pic.twitter.com/yWBBDMJnwr

— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 26, 2018

Neither side could gain control in the second half, as both Maryland and Boston College traded punches and played up to the standard of a primetime game on championship weekend.

Boston College’s defense held Tewaaraton finalist Megan Whittle to just one goal on three shots. Elizabeth Miller was primarily responsible for faceguarding Whittle – she also faceguarded Kylie Ohlmiller in the quarterfinals – and Walker-Weinstein said Miller has been exciting to watch.

“She’s so stable. Her footwork is amazing,” she said. “She’s a really focused kid, so she does not get distracted by things. Whether it’s success or failure, or the score, or the crowd, or her opponent, she’s just really focused. It’s been fun to watch her have these great matchups and face these top players.”

Backing Miller was goalkeeper Lauren Daly, another Long Island native. She made seven saves, one bigger than the next, and she said that last year’s 16-13 championship loss to Maryland hasn’t really been on their minds.

“We kind of all year have been having this saying that we’re a new team and we’re a different team,” she said. “While yes, it is motivating to come into this game having lost to them last year, I think it’s really important to remember that we are a new team and this is a different year.”

This year’s team was dealt a blow early, as Kenzie Kent opted to redshirt her senior year to play hockey. Without Kent, the Eagles were expected to take a small step back. They haven’t.

So, when they were dealt a blow early against Maryland, they responded as expected. Down 6-2, the Eagles scored the next five goals to take a 7-6 lead. Then the back-and-forth began, leaving it up to Apuzzo to settle it all in the end.

With James Madison on deck, Boston College must go back to its quarterfinal against Stony Brook’s zone defense to prepare. Regardless of the outcome, there will be a new first-time champion, and Walker-Weinstein thinks that’s good for the sport.

“The sport is growing, there’s more and more people playing and there’s a higher level of talent in multiple different schools,” she said. “I think it speaks to the growth of the game.”

Another elite performance from Apuzzo will be key to downing a Dukes squad that stifled the UNC offense. Even if it takes Apuzzo awhile to get going, contributions from her will go a long way in deciding the 2018 national champion.

A Tewaaraton-worthy performance shouldn’t surprise Walker-Weinstein. It’s safe to say it no longer surprises those watching.