The Maryland women’s lacrosse team entered halftime leading Virginia by four goals, but 10 minutes into the second period, the Cavaliers were within one score and the Terps had yet to find the back of the net in the second half.
It was Maryland’s worst second-half start this season and seemed to put its eight-game win streak — and its stretch of 70 consecutive home wins — in danger.
But midfielder Kali Hartshorn broke the scoring drought for Maryland with 15:35 remaining, and 10 seconds later, attacker Megan Whittle put another goal on the board.
Maryland didn’t allow a goal in the final 20 minutes and their offense came alive for six goals, earning No. 3 Maryland a 15-8 win over the No. 10 Cavaliers.
“After our timeout we said that we needed to pick it up a little bit,” Hartshorn said. “All of us on offense, we wanted to bring it together, just stop panicking … and just put the ball in the back of the net.”
Hartshorn, who notched five goals and an assist, said the timeout between her and Whittle’s score helped calm the team down and get back in the right mindset.
Though the final score was lopsided, Maryland had struggled to gain momentum from the opening whistle.
After exchanging a goal apiece in the game’s first two minutes of the matchup, neither team could find the back of the net for nearly 14 minutes.
Amidst strong winds, the Terps struggled to complete passes early and were unable to make the most of its time on offense. Maryland (11-1) also faced troubles in the draw circle, as Virginia (8-4) earned the first five controls.
“We’re getting good opportunities, we’re just not finishing,” Whittle said. “We were a little chill, a little this and that, but again no excuses. … All in all I don’t think we’ve played a perfect 30 minutes of lacrosse yet, and that’s something that we can work on.”
The teams scored 12 goals in the final 14 minutes of the half, though, including the Terps posting three consecutive scores twice.
The first of those goals came from Whittle, who was a force for Maryland throughout the matchup. The senior scored five goals — moving her within six of Maryland’s all-time scoring record — and secured two draw controls and a ground ball.
“That was a huge boost. She had a fast-break goal there too and I think I even fist pumped,” coach Cathy Reese said. “They get the team energy [up], the bench was going crazy, you could just kind of feel the excitement surrounding what was going on on the field. Huge moments, she stepped up big.”
