Attacker Megan Whittle defends against a Penn State opponent during the Terps’ 13-10 win over Penn State at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex on April 23, 2015.
Entering the season, the Terrapins women’s lacrosse team didn’t know what to expect from its Big Ten foes. Combined with the No. 1 Terps’ move from the ACC was the inaugural season for the Big Ten’s lacrosse league.
Despite the uncertainty, the Terps defeated all five of their new conference rivals en route to a 17-0 record.
And when the top-seeded Terps travel to Piscataway, New Jersey, for the Big Ten tournament this weekend, they’ll rely on regular-season experiences against their conference foes in an effort to continue their string of six consecutive conference titles.
“Not knowing [in practice] who we’re going to play on Friday, our focus is on Maryland,” coach Cathy Reese said. “We need to really find a way to dig down deep and put together a full 60 minutes of lacrosse. … I don’t think we’ve done that yet. We’ve had moments of brilliance, moments of greatness, but we haven’t put it all together.”
The Terps (17-0) are slated to face fourth-seeded Ohio State (12-6) in Friday evening’s second semifinal match. Ohio State defeated Rutgers, 17-7, Thursday evening in the quarterfinals.
Attackers Brooke Griffin and Megan Whittle and midfielder Taylor Cummings paced the team with three scores apiece when the Terps defeated the Buckeyes, 13-8, in Columbus, Ohio, on April 12.
But the Buckeyes used an aggressive scheme to push the Terps off their mark for most of the afternoon. Ohio State fielded three more ground balls than the Terps and baited Reese’s squad into committing 21 fouls to the Buckeyes’ 28.
“[Now] we know what to expect from the defense and what our defense can expect from the offense, and we have film to watch,” Whittle said. “We’re just focusing on playing our game, and hopefully if we execute our game the way we want to, we can continue winning.”
Accustomed to the faster-paced ACC, the Terps said the biggest difference in Big Ten play has been the physicality of their opponents. Defender Alice Mercer said the Terps’ defensive unit has learned to work against their opponents’ aggressive schemes.
“Even though teams are going to push and foul and swing, we just have to play controlled Maryland lacrosse,” Mercer said. “[It’s] being aware and taking yourself to the next level and just being above the swinging and the pushing and the fouling and just not letting it get to you.”
The Terps won their five Big Ten contests by an average of 7.2 goals, including double-digit victories against No. 6 Northwestern and Rutgers. Even so, Reese said her team could improve upon those performances this weekend.
“[We’re] working on stepping up defensively and slowing down transition opportunities for other teams or pushing our own transition opportunities and trying to create more off of our unsettled offense,” Reese said.
If Reese’s squad defeats Ohio State on Friday night, they’ll advance to the tournament’s championship game Sunday against either the Wildcats or No. 8 Penn State.
Regardless of their opponents, the Terps hope their recent experiences with this weekend’s potential foes will help them build upon their Big Ten regular-season title and earn yet another conference championship.
“Our only game that is important is Friday night right now,” Reese said. “That’s where all of our energy is, our focus is, our excitement is, and we’re in a good spot.”
