Trailing 12-0 toward the end of the first half Saturday, Ohio State defender Meg Camden sprinted downfield and launched a bounce shot across her body toward Maryland women’s lacrosse’s net.
Goalkeeper Megan Taylor wasn’t fazed. She deflected the ball into the air and caught it before it hit the ground for her eighth save of the day — and the 600th of her career.
The historic save was another routine play on a day full of them. On short rest, the Terps picked apart an overmatched Buckeyes team on both ends in a 16-1 rout at Maryland Stadium.
Ohio State (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten) came into College Park averaging 14.3 goals per game, and the team got off 19 shots — 16 of them on goal — against Maryland (8-0, 1-0). But the Terps didn’t give the Buckeyes many good looks, and Taylor blocked everything that came her way, with eight saves in just 30 minutes on the field.
Meanwhile, a Maryland offense that’s been inconsistent at times this season exploded out of the gate. The Terps had no trouble scoring against goalkeeper Jill Rizzo, building a sizable cushion for a defense that wouldn’t need it.
Attacker Kali Hartshorn put Maryland ahead in the third minute, fooling Rizzo on a pump-fake before tossing the ball into the net for the first of her season-high five goals. Attacker Caroline Steele and midfielder Meghan Siverson would chip on two more goals in the next two minutes, before Ohio State got its first shot on goal.
The Terps wouldn’t let their foot off the gas from there, methodically building a 12-0 lead by halftime. Hartshorn provided the exclamation point with less than four minutes to go, spinning around a defender and firing a no-look shot from eight yards out.
The closest the Buckeyes came to rallying was midway through the first period, when they fired off four shots on goal — all from close range — in a five-minute span. Taylor blocked all of them, including two in a period of eight seconds, to snuff out any hopes of a comeback.
As its deficit expanded, Ohio State began to commit more fouls, with midfielders Baley Parrott and Mackenzie Maring receiving yellow cards. Maryland took advantage of the sloppy play, with seven free-position goals on eight chances and a man-up goal in its sole opportunity.
With the game well out of reach, and Taylor having reached her milestone, coach Cathy Reese brought out reserve goalkeeper Maddie McSally to start the second period. Just over seven minutes in, attacker Sara Dickinson beat McSally to put Ohio State on the board, and deny the Terps its first shutout since 1992.
But Maryland locked down after that, with McSally and fellow backup Madison Hine making a combined seven saves. Even as the Terps’ offense cooled off down the stretch — they didn’t score in the final 15 minutes — the Buckeyes showed no signs of life, becoming the second team this season to score a single goal against Maryland.
