Three of Maryland field hockey team’s eldest players walked to the bench in silence after the team’s 3-0 loss to North Carolina in the NCAA quarterfinal round.

The rest of the team walked down to the end of the field and formed a huddle. But senior forwards Welma Luus and Emma Rissinger and junior midfielder Lein Holsboer seemed to need a bit more time to process their season-ending loss.

They slowly leaned their sticks against the bench and walked towards their teammates. Luus then paused again, this time stopping at midfield to bend over and put her hands on her knees. This result marked the final game of her seven-year career as a part of Maryland athletics.

About three minutes earlier, the Terps appeared to waive the white flag. The team played the past three minutes with an empty net, but when North Carolina extended its lead to 3-0, coach Missy Meharg put goalkeeper Sarah Bates back on the field.

The lead was insurmountable at that point, meaning North Carolina would move onto the final four. Midfielder Ashley Hoffman score twice on penalty corners to lead the Tar Heels to their eighth consecutive semifinal appearance.

The game got off to a choppy start, as both teams spent most of their time in the midfield.

Three of the Maryland field hockey team’s eldest players walked to the bench in silence after its 3-0 loss to North Carolina in the NCAA quarterfinal round on Sunday.

Most of the team walked down to the end of the field and formed an impromptu huddle. But senior forwards Welma Luus and Emma Rissinger and junior midfielder Lein Holsboer seemed to need a bit more time to process their season-ending loss.

They slowly leaned their sticks against the bench and walked toward their teammates. Luus then paused again, this time stopping at midfield to bend over and put her hands on her knees. This result marked the final game of her seven-year career as a part of Maryland athletics.

“I feel like I’ve been here forever,” Luus said. “Of course it’s going to hurt, but it has to come to an end at some point.”

About five minutes earlier, the Terps appeared to have raised the white flag. They had played the past minute without a goalie, but when UNC extended its lead to 3-0 against the empty net, coach Missy Meharg put goalkeeper Sarah Bates back on the field for the end of her team’s season.

“I’m very proud of the women for the way that we competed,” Meharg said. “Great game plan and they executed it very well. [But] it would have been nice to get some goals in there.”

The lead was insurmountable at that point, meaning North Carolina would move onto the final four. Midfielder Ashley Hoffman scored twice on penalty corners to lead the Tar Heels to their eighth consecutive semifinal appearance.

The game got off to a choppy start as both teams spent most of their time in the midfield, and the teams combined to take less than 20 shots.

A string of chances for both sides, the strongest scoring threats of the game at that point, began in the 22nd minute and ended with the Tar Heels taking a 1-0 lead three minutes later.

Luus, the Terps’ leading scorer who didn’t play on Saturday due to a head injury, carried the ball down the baseline and into the circle, drawing UNC goalkeeper Shannon Johnson out of the net to clear it away.

Both teams failed to put away shots shortly after that, but North Carolina opened the scoring in the 25th minute.

The Tar Heels earned and converted the first corner of the game on Hoffman’s goal, which snuck under goalkeeper Sarah Holliday as she dove to her left.

Holliday, who split time with Bates all year, made her first start since Oct. 16 on Sunday. In Saturday’s first round of the NCAA tournament against UMass, Holliday entered for the penalty shootout and didn’t allow a score, helping the Terps advance to Sunday’s quarterfinals.

“The staff felt that just the momentum, being able to be put on that spot in that stage. “[Holliday] would be able to handle this game,” Meharg said.

Hoffman repeated that act less than two minutes into the second half, doubling her team’s lead and prompting Meharg to replace Holliday with Bates — a redshirt junior — shortly after.

The Terps had three chances to net the equalizer in the 48th minute when they earned three consecutive penalty corners. The Tar Heel defense, though, held strong all each of them to maintain their two-goal advantage.

“Actually, getting eight shots, I’m pretty happy about that, and [the] five penalty corners,” Meharg said. “Carolina’s ruthless. They were very ruthless in their defense today.”

North Carolina outshot the Terps, 11-8, and had four penalty corners to the Terps’ five.

“Keep fighting,” the team yelled after Meharg called a timeout with 15 minutes left. The team did keep trying, earning a pair of penalty corners after that stoppage and pulling its goalie with six minutes left.

Still, it couldn’t crack North Carolina’s defense, and the Tar Heels scored an empty net goal with about five minutes to go, ending any hopes of a Terps’ comeback.

“It’s the last game of your season. It’s knockout time,” Meharg said. “Credit to Carolina.”