Syracuse will take on No. 1-seeded Maryland (18-1, 5-0 Big Ten) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania in the final four of the NCAA tournament. This is SU’s fourth straight final four appearance and fifth in six years.

The No. 4-seeded Orange (16-7, 3-4 Atlantic Coast) defeated Loyola (Maryland), 10-7, on Saturday to advance to the third round of the tournament after receiving a first-round bye. The Terrapins beat Northwestern, 17-5, on Sunday to advance.

“It was a long year, a lot of close games, but you grind it out,” SU head coach Gary Gait said after Saturday’s game. “We got through the year, we stepped up and this team came together when we needed them. So expect the same come Friday.”

Syracuse lost to Maryland, 10-7, in March this year. Orange attack and Tewaaraton finalist Kayla Treanor led a second-half comeback that ultimately fell short. The reigning Tewaaraton winner, UMD midfielder Taylor Cummings, scored six goals and added an assist.

Last year, the Orange fell to the Terrapins, 15-12, in the national championship game. In 2012, Maryland ended SU’s season in the final four.

“We’ve always made it to the final four and we just came up short,” senior attack Kailah Kempney said earlier in the week. “We know what that feels like and it’s not a great feeling. … It’s just going to be our last memory. We can either make it a good one or a bad one.”