TOWSON, Md. - Over the course of the next several weeks, TowsonTigers.com will count down the top 10 achievements of Towson University athletic teams and student-athletes for the 2009-10 year. Check back each Monday and Wednesday as we reveal this year's "Towson's Top Ten."

#7 – If You Build It, They Will Come (written by Dave Carey)

Another year, another NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship attendance record at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas® Stadium.

For the third consecutive year, a record crowd packed the bleachers and demonstrated the booming growth of the sport as 9,782 fans crammed into the open-ended stadium to watch Maryland defeat five-time defending champion Northwestern, 13-11. The record crowd bested the high-water mark of 8,782 set during the semifinal round just two days earlier.

“There was an exciting atmosphere and I felt that it was great for the sport,” said a smiling Maryland Coach Cathy Reese as she sported a white national champions T-shirt over her polo. “I think the excitement of the game fueled the fans and with everything on the field, you felt the electricity spreading across the stadium.”

Towson and Unitas Stadium first hosted the sport’s biggest stage in 2008 when a then-record crowd of 12,425 fans attended the semi-finals and finals, watching Northwestern claim the title over Penn.

Last year, 14,064 fans were at the Championship Round, including a record 6,515 patrons that saw the Wildcats retain their crown with a victory over North Carolina.

But, both of those marks pale in comparison to this spring’s event: 18,564 fans witnessed the three games, including Sunday’s stunning gate, which was the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s lacrosse game in the United States.

“You couldn’t not hear the fans,” said Maryland senior midfielder and the championship's Most Outstanding Player Caitlyn McFadden. “Our fans, friends, family and alumni came from all over the country.”

So, did having so many Maryland flags waving in the stands help the Terrapins? It didn’t hurt.

Maryland, which claimed its record 10th title, became the eighth team to win the crown in its home state. The Terrapins also did it in 1986, 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2001 before Sunday. Temple claimed the title in Haverfod, Pa., in 1988 and Penn State won it all at West Chester University in 1989.

“You could tell it was a huge crowd,” Northwestern senior attacker Katrina Dowd said. “As a lacrosse fan myself, it’s exciting to be part of that. It is great for the sport.”

The 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship will be played at Stony Brook University on Long Island. But it remains to be seen what kind of impact that venue will have.

“There definitely was a lot of red in the stands,” Northwestern senior attacker Danielle Spencer said. “But it’s not about who you have cheering, but about what you have in your team.”