The Terrapins women’s lacrosse team is gunning for its fourth consecutive ACC Tournament title this weekend in Durham, N.C. Whether it emerges victorious remains undetermined. One thing is for sure, though – it will be the Terps’ hardest one yet.

For the first time in years, the No. 5 Terps (13-3, 3-2 ACC) did not earn a first-round bye by virtue of a top-two finish, meaning they will have to win three straight games to win the ACC Championship.

And on top of that, every likely matchup in the tournament will provide its share of challenges. The team starts with Virginia Tech (9-6, 1-4) tomorrow, which it defeated last weekend, 19-5. If they beat the Hokies again, the Terps will face No. 8 Duke, which handed the Terps their first loss of the season. And if they are able to get by the Blue Devils, they will more than likely have to play No. 3 North Carolina, which is undefeated in ACC play.

But coach Cathy Reese sees these obstacles as nothing but mere stepping stones toward a much larger goal for her team.

“I really think that this is a chance for us to continue on this pattern that we’re on,” she said. “We can continue to gain confidence and get experience and get a lot of new faces in there, and get them ACC experience, as well.”

Unfortunately for Reese, getting new faces onto the playing field has become a necessity for the remainder of the Terps’ season. Several players have sat out in recent weeks due to flu symptoms, including star attacker Karri Ellen Johnson. But she, at least, will return to the field.

Last week, midfielder Beth Glaros fell victim to a season-ending torn ACL. After scoring two goals and claiming six draw controls in the Terps’ 14-11 loss to the Tar Heels, the sophomore was injured in practice and was not available for the games against Princeton and Virginia Tech.

“She had such a great season up to this point, so it’s always devastating when somebody has a season-ending injury,” Reese said of Glaros, who had 22 goals on the year and a .500 shooting percentage. “And for her, being one of our starters, it’s hard to lose her speed and abilities in our midfield.”

This late-season development has an eerily similarity to last season, when Johnson was sidelined midway through the regular season with a concussion and never saw the field again. Although the team’s biggest scoring threat was gone, the Terps not only won the ACC Tournament, but they also advanced to the national championship game. Ironically, Glaros was a key reason for why they went as far as they did, flourishing in draw controls in Johnson’s absence and becoming a reliable goal scorer during the postseason run.

This year, though, it will be Glaros watching how it all pans out from the sidelines. Still, if the team’s last game against the Hokies demonstrated anything, it’s the Terps’ impressive depth. Freshman midfielder Kelly McPartland notched four goals as the day’s high scorer, while attackers Kristy Black and Brooke Griffin also earned hat tricks.

In addition to midfielder Katie Schwarzmann, who contributes a near-guaranteed hat trick per game, the expected return of Johnson to the lineup will provide the Terps a further boost.

“Our girls are stepping up in [Glaros’] place. We’ve got people that are ready to go – they’re stepping up on the field, they’re attacking the goal harder, they’re shooting more and they’re ready to fill her shoes,” Reese said. “It’s tough when you lose a player, but this team is going to rally behind her and they’re going to step up to fill the role that she was filling.”

munson@umdbk.com