Terrapins women’s lacrosse coach Cathy Reese knows her team will face a stiff test against No. 5 North Carolina on Saturday afternoon. The Terps needed a late run to capture a 9-8 victory over the Tar Heels in last year’s NCAA championship game.
So when the No. 1 Terps step onto the field in Chapel Hill, Reese knows it’ll take a complete effort. In turn, she wants to see some of the Terps’ younger players step up and contribute.
“It’s been such a rivalry between the two programs because they’re two Final Four programs,” Reese said. “Girls on both ends are going to play hard on both sides of the ball. For us, it will be a check of what we need to be better.”
When the Terps and Tar Heels faced off annually in ACC play, the contest was traditionally played in April. Yet for the second consecutive year as members of the Big Ten, the Terps will face North Carolina in the first three weeks of the season.
The Terps (2-0) will be tasked with knocking off a roster perhaps as talented as theirs. The Tar Heels (3-1) boast the top freshman class in the nation, according to Inside Lacrosse, which listed the Terps’ group right behind at No. 2.
North Carolina midfielder Marie McCool, who ended last season with 26 goals and four assists as a freshman, leads the Tar Heels’ attack. The Terps will also have to defend midfielder Molly Hendrick, who missed the championship game after tearing her ACL.
“Defensively, we’re always going to have the same mindset going into any game,” defender Alice Mercer said. “They’re a fast team. We’re going to need to be there sliding for each other.”
The Terps topped then-No. 2 North Carolina, 13-11, early in the 2015 campaign. Led by midfielder Taylor Cummings, who scored three goals and grabbed five draw controls, the Terps were able to grab and maintain a second-half lead.
The road to victory was more difficult in the championship game, as the Terps trailed 6-3 at the half.
“We’ve developed a great rivalry with them,” Cummings said. “I think we’ve only seen bits and pieces of how great we can be.”
The Terps’ offense, which has tallied 37 goals through two games, will likely be challenged to find scoring opportunities against Tar Heels goalkeepers Caylee Waters and Megan Ward.
Reese said goalkeepers Megan Taylor and Emily Kift will both see time in the cage against the Tar Heels.
“Their offense is similar to ours in the respect that anyone on the field can score,” Reese said. “We’ve been focusing all week on tightening up our team defense and making sure we’re helping each other out.”
Attacker Megan Whittle received playing time against the Tar Heels as a freshman, scoring three goals in the regular-season match. Freshman midfielder Caroline Steele has found success in her first two games, and the Terps hope she can replicate Whittle’s performance from last season.
“I’m excited to be a part of this rivalry,” Steele said. “Finally.”
