GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA– Terrapins women’s lacrosse coach Cathy Reese told her team a Saturday showdown at No. 2 Florida was going to be a test.
And although the No. 1 Terps left Donald R. Dizney Lacrosse Stadium with a 14-4 victory to give the Gators their first loss this season, Reese said her team struggled throughout the first half.
“Just needed to settle in,” Reese said. “We came out in the second half and paid attention to the details.”
At the intermission, the Terps (6-0) had won seven draw controls. Florida (9-1) hadn’t won any. But Reese’s squad only had a 4-2 advantage at halftime.
Reese said the Terps were forcing shots against the 17th-best defense in the country. They attempted 15 in the first half but had success early.
Freshman midfielder Caroline Steele scored in front of the crease to get the Terps on the board for the first time. Then attacker Megan Whittle scored about six minutes into the contest in front of the cage to push the team’s lead to two.
But then the Gators’ offense came to life.
About ten minutes into the game, Florida midfielder Lindsey Ronbeck scored to cut the Terps’ lead in half. And 10 minutes later, she tied the game at two.
After going cold for nearly 20 minutes, the Terps offense was able to exploit the Gators’ aggressive defense as the first half winded down.
Attacker Caroline Wannen, who paced the offense with four goals, and midfielder Kacie Longo scored in the final minutes of the first half gave the Terps a 4-2 lead heading into intermission.
Despite the late push, it marked the Terps’ lowest scoring first half of the season.
“We were just a little hesitant,” Wannen said. “We adjusted and started playing our game, and we got open looks off of that.”
While the offense struggled to pull away, the Terps dominated possession. They finished with a 15-5 edge in the draw circle, and that helped the Terps limit Florida to five shots in the second half.
“We were able to control it on offense,” said defender Nadine Hadnagy, who scooped up five ground balls. “Every game we come in with our defense. We don’t change for who we’re playing.”
Though the Terps were tested by the Gators’ stout defense in the first half, they were able to adjust after the break.
After Gators midfielder Nicole Graziano scored in front of the goal to make it a 4-3 contest moments into the second half, the Terps scored eight straight goals to put the game out of reach.
Trailing by four with about 20 minutes remaining, Gators coach Amanda O’Leary called a timeout. Shortly after, she put Haley Hicklen in goal. But the Terps continued to drive and have success offensively.
Gators attacker Shayna Pirreca ended the Terps’ run with a goal at about the nine-minute mark. But it was too late.
“This is a huge win for us. It’s a tough place to play,” Reese said. “We knew we hand our hands full coming into the game. Florida’s a really good team.”
