The Terps earned their 800th program win.
No. 7 Maryland women’s lacrosse head coach Cathy Reese has emphasized her attacking unit’s recent struggles, calling them out at times. The Terps produced consecutive sub-30% shooting performances heading into Saturday’s contest against No. 8 Johns Hopkins.
But Reese got the response she was looking for, and in a big way. After a sluggish start to the game, Maryland’s offense broke out of its slump and generated one of its best performances of the season.
Behind Jordyn Lipkin and Kori Edmondson’s stellar outings, the Terps converted on 13 of their 32 shots (40.6%).
Maryland — who was held scoreless for the first five minutes of the game — exploded for five goals in the opening quarter. The Terps’ clinical offensive showing fueled them to a 13-11 win Saturday afternoon in College Park.
“We took our time. We didn’t force shots, we didn’t rush them,” Lipkin said. “I think that was the difference in today’s game. … We were confident. Knowing we can do that will help us in other games.”
The victory clinched Maryland the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and a meeting with either Rutgers or USC in the first round on Wednesday.
Johns Hopkins’ attack has been spearheaded by the two-headed monster of Ashley Mackin and Ava Angello. The duo has accounted for over half of the Blue Jays’ 200 goals on the season.
With Mackin’s injury last week, midfielder Lacey Downey fueled the offense early on. The sophomore entered the game with 17 goals this season, including a brace in the team’s last game. Downey fired her first two free-position looks into the top corner of the net past goalie JJ Suriano.
However, the Terps weathered the early storm after trailing 2-0 just four minutes in.
“We’ve had a lot of times this season where maybe we started slow and then it was hard to dig ourselves out,” Reese said. “We were able to come out today and keep battling.”
Maryland’s offense averaged just 8.3 goals in its prior three contests. The Terps looked destined to produce another low-scoring output with two sloppy turnovers right away.
Jordyn Lipkin rose to the occasion, though. The senior managed her fourth hat trick of the season in Maryland’s last game, helping it overcome a three-goal deficit. Lipkin’s steadying presence was evident with the Terps’ backs against the wall on Saturday. She notched Maryland’s first three goals of the game and tied her career-high with four scores.
Her second score highlighted Maryland’s offensive game plan. Edmondson received a pass with her back turned to the goal. The junior pitched the ball to a cutting Lipkin right in front of goal. In one fluid motion, she lasered the ball just over the head of goalie Morgan Giardina.
“[Jordyn] had a lot of great openings off of cuts inside, and our feeders were able to hit her,” Reese said. “I thought she finished well. She took an extra second and put the ball away. That was a big deal.”
Behind Lipkin’s first-quarter outburst, the Terps took a 5-3 lead heading into the second period — an advantage they would only add onto in the ensuing 10 minutes of play.
Following Edmondson’s three-goal showing against Rutgers, the Tewaaraton Award Watch List nominee took some time to find her footing. After being held scoreless for nearly the whole opening quarter, Edmondson notched her first score with time dwindling down in the period. She would convert her next two free-position looks to hand Maryland a 9-5 lead.
Giardina — Johns Hopkins’ netminder — entered the game with the worst save percentage of any starting goalie in the Big Ten at 37.8%. The junior didn’t fare much better against the Terps’ offensive onslaught, totaling just nine saves.
After one of her best showings in a Maryland uniform, Suriano posted another complete outing to cap off the regular season. She recorded a 45% save percentage on 20 shots on frame for nine saves.
But Suriano was unable to make timely stops down the stretch and keep the Blue Jays off the scoresheet.
While the Terps took a commanding 10-5 advantage midway through the third quarter, Johns Hopkins wouldn’t go away, scoring three unanswered goals to trim the lead to just two. But pivotal Maryland goals halted the Blue Jays’ momentum and sealed the victory.
In a game where the Terps lost 17 of the 27 faceoffs — only the time they have lay the battle this season — they made clutch stands to overcome a slow start.
“We’ve had great games in the draw circle, and we didn’t [today],” Reese said. “The fact that defensively we’re making great stops, coming up with the ball to give us more offensive possessions was key. … We did what we needed to do.”
Three things to know
1. Free position flurry. Maryland missed its first four free-position looks against Rutgers before burying its last three chances. The Terps were efficient in that area on Saturday, finishing 4-of-6 opportunities. Johns Hopkins notched four free-position scores as well.
2. First top-10 win. Maryland’s prior two contests against top-tier opposition resulted in blowout defeats by a combined margin of 18 goals. The Terps capitalized on that opportunity on Saturday, holding onto an unbeaten record against Johns Hopkins in 21 meetings.
3. Taking care of business at home. After losing its first game in College Park, Maryland has tallied seven consecutive home victories. The Terps will have an opportunity to extend that streak in the Big Ten Tournament.