Defender Iliana Sanza, left, and the No. 5 Terps will travel to face Princeton tonight.
The Terrapins women’s lacrosse program is steeped in tradition. One of the country’s most reputable programs, it has long stood as a perennial threat to not just win the ACC but the national championship each and every season.
Which makes it all the more surprising that its high ranking in the ACC might just vanish this year.
The No. 5 Terps’ (11-3) loss to No. 3 North Carolina last weekend did more than just extinguish hopes of taking the ACC regular-season title and nabbing the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. With No. 14 Virginia’s surprising overtime loss to Virginia Tech, the Terps’ loss also put them even further back in the conference standings, sitting in third place behind No. 8 Duke.
Even though the squad still has two games left in the regular season – one at Princeton (6-4) tonight and one final ACC matchup against Virginia Tech this weekend – the Blue Devils have already clinched the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament. Duke beat the Terps, 10-9, in Durham, N.C., on Feb. 25.
Coach Cathy Reese, however, is looking on the bright side after the loss to the Tar Heels.
“I’m kind of excited about where we are right now,” she said. “Coming through that game, we learned a lot about ourselves and the things we need to tighten up on and do differently. I think it’s what we needed to propel us into the rest of our season.”
The defensive side of the ball, which has remained a constant crutch for the Terps in their wins this season, has been an area of concern in recent contests. The Tar Heels made 60 percent of their shots in the first half and won 17 of 25 groundballs in the game, giving themselves extra scoring chances.
“That’s not the way we normally play,” goalie Brittany Dipper said. “Not coming out on fire like we normally do and the way we need to cost us.”
After just four goals on eight shots in the first half, the Terps did improve their attack after halftime, totaling 15 shots. But even a 5-1 second-half run wasn’t enough to overcome North Carolina in the end.
“We didn’t play very good one-on-one defense, and we didn’t help each other out,” Reese said. “We needed to step up and be a bit tougher, and we didn’t do that in the first half. We made adjustments at halftime … but it was a little too much, too late. We just couldn’t get it done.”
Barring a miracle tonight in New Jersey or at home this weekend, the Terps should come out on top against their two upcoming, unranked opponents. What lies ahead for them in the ACC Tournament will be a much more uncertain path. The Terps won’t receive a first-round bye if they stay in the No. 3 hole, meaning they’ll have to win three games if they are to repeat as league champions.
For Reese and her team, it’s unfamiliar territory.
“I’ve never been in a play-in game here at Maryland,” Reese said, referencing the structure of the tournament that gives the top two seeds a bye from the quarterfinal round. “It is what it is – the ACC is such a competitive conference and any game can go any way at any time. It will be really exciting to see how everything plays out.”
munson@umdbk.com
