Before this season got underway, the Terrapins women’s lacrosse team’s defense was considered its one question mark. Replacing three starters on defense was not going to be an easy task, and with the handful of offensive stars the Terps still had at their disposal, offensive problems weren’t even fathomable.
Yet eight games into the season, the major inconsistency plaguing the Terps has come at the offensive end. That could explain why the Terps’ dominating 18-9 win over Richmond Tuesday was such a welcome relief before ACC play resumes tomorrow against Boston College, which dropped out of the top-25 rankings this week after a 16-12 loss to Albany.
“We just clicked on all ends of the field,” goalie Brittany Dipper said. “Our defense was making stops, coming up with the groundballs and clearing up the field, and our attack was just finishing their shots and putting it away. Everyone was just connecting.”
The Terps’ area of greatest improvement, as soon became obvious to everyone at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex, was the offense’s opportunism. The No. 6 Terps (6-2, 1-1 ACC) shot 50 percent, their best mark since their second game of the season against Delaware. No particular player carried the load on her own, either – nine different Terps scored against the Spiders, while six of them had multiple goals. Midfielder Katie Schwarzmann had her third hat trick in the last four games, and attacker Karri Ellen Johnson notched her 200th career goal.
The biggest contribution, however, came from the stick of attacker Brooke Griffin. The redshirt freshman was all over the stat sheet in the team’s first three games, but was nearly absent in the four games afterward. Against the Spiders, though, she scored four goals and tallied an assist.
“Our message to Brooke has been simple: just play,” coach Cathy Reese said. “She’s a phenomenal lacrosse player, she’s a great athlete, and when she just does her thing, she is super exciting to watch, to coach, and I’m sure to play with.”
Despite the Terps’ improvements in shooting and overall chemistry on the field, Reese still said there are areas that need attention. Draw controls, in particular, stand out for a team that has struggled to dominate the statistic against any opponent since Delaware. Even against Richmond, the Terps finished even in draw controls at the final buzzer.
“We’re learning from it, we keep developing, and we’re a young team,” Reese said. “So it’s fun to kind of put all the pieces of the puzzle together and see where it takes us.”
The offensive surge they produced against the Spiders may be short-lived, however, and for reasons outside of their control. In their last four meetings with Boston College (4-3, 1-0 ACC), the Terps have scored more than 10 goals only once, despite winning every single one. So the team may very well find itself in a slow-paced game tomorrow in which the Eagles try to limit the Terps’ offensive output by stalling.
“We’re just focusing on the little things and ourselves,” Dipper said. “That’s our main focus, not about what they’re going to do.”
munson@umdbk.com
