When Megan Whittle joined the top-ranked Terrapins women’s lacrosse team as a freshman last year, it didn’t take her long to contribute.
She scored a hat trick in three of her first four games en route to a team-high 67 goals in her rookie campaign. Her stellar season earned her Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors six times.
But on a team that returned just five starters, Whittle’s role has only increased. The sophomore leads the team with 27 goals despite opposing defenses’ focus on her.
Before this past week, Whittle was held to a combined three goals against No. 3 Syracuse and No. 2 Florida on the road. But against No. 14 Penn on Wednesday, she scored four times.
And in Saturday’s 18-6 victory over James Madison at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex, Whittle tallied a season-high five goals.
“She’s a more seasoned player and she’s making smart decisions,” midfielder Taylor Cummings said. “She’s just done an awesome job for us this year, and I expect nothing less from her for the rest of the games.”
Just as she did against the Quakers, Whittle got the No. 1 Terps on the board first against the Dukes.
About 90 seconds into the first half, Whittle cut across the field and scored from the left side of the circle. Just more than a minute later, she did the same to give the Terps an early two-goal advantage.
“She’s fast to attack and a good shooter,” coach Cathy Reese said. “She takes advantage of the opportunities she gets, but she’s also smart and realizes that if she doesn’t have it, she’s moving it on to somebody else.”
With just more than five minutes remaining in the first half, Whittle scored her third consecutive unassisted goal. Her subsequent free-position goal gave the Terps a 9-3 lead.
The Orange and the Gators doubled Whittle when they played her, attempting to eliminate her from the Terps attack. Defender Alice Mercer praised Whittle’s ability to contribute offensively despite becoming a focal point for opposing defenses.
“She’s matured in the sense that she’s getting doubled earlier and she’s getting face guards in some games, but she’s not letting that get her down,” Mercer said.
Whittle, who also scored the decisive goal in the Terps’ 8-7 road victory over then-No. 5 North Carolina, has helped freshman midfielders Caroline Steele and Jen Giles get involved in the team’s offense.
Cummings said with a season under her belt, Whittle has become a more well-rounded player.
“As she’s gone into her sophomore year, she’s not making stupid passes,” Cummings said. “She’s not forcing the ball when she needs to. … You can definitely tell she’s matured.”
As the Terps begin their Big Ten schedule Thursday night against Northwestern, they will likely continue to depend on Whittle to produce. Even if she is double-teamed or face-guarded, she will be involved.
“She knows that sometimes she isn’t going to be our ultimate goal-scorer in games; she’s there for assists and she’s getting ground balls,” Mercer said. “She’s really stepped up the aspects of her game.”
