Before it can dream of any postseason glory, the Terrapins women’s lacrosse team first has to get through perhaps its toughest stretch of regular-season games in recent memory. Four games separate the team from the ACC Tournament, and the next three are all on the road against ranked teams – including two in the top 10.

Their recent play, however, suggests the No. 5 Terps are as ready as they ever will be for this challenging chapter of their season.

The Terps (10-2, 2-1 ACC) are rolling into tonight’s game at No. 10 Penn (5-2) with a five-game winning streak and the momentum that comes with it. Lately, the Terps are outperforming their opponents in nearly every facet of the game. Their defense allowed its fewest goals of the season in their blowout win of Towson on Tuesday, goalie Brittany Dipper is coming off a perfect outing and the team is dominating the draw-control category that eluded them so regularly earlier this year.

The offense, meanwhile, has righted the ship. Once struggling to put the ball in the cage, the Terps have now met or surpassed 50 percent shooting in every game of their current winning streak.

“We needed to make sure we were taking advantage of the opportunities that we got, and on offense, we’ve been doing that,” coach Cathy Reese said.

A handful of players are responsible for the offense’s rebirth. Midfielder Katie Schwarzmann, the team’s goal-scoring leader, has scored at least three goals in every game of the winning streak. Attacker Karri Ellen Johnson, coming off a five-goal performance, stands on the cusp of becoming the No. 2 scorer in program history. Redshirt freshman Brooke Griffin has returned from a period of dormancy, and attacker Alex Aust is emerging as a dual threat as a scorer and distributor.

“It’s awesome because any one of our teammates can score,” Johnson said.

Unfortunately for the Terps, Penn is coming in hot as well. Instead of just beginning a rough stretch, the Quakers are on the tail end of one. Although they fell to No. 14 Georgetown, 11-9, they picked up their first win over a ranked opponent last Saturday against No. 17 Cornell in thrilling fashion. After a mediocre start left the Quakers trailing 3-0 and playing catch-up, they rebounded and held off the Big Red in a tight 11-10 victory.

For the Terps, tonight marks just the first step. After their bout with Penn, they will journey to Chapel Hill, N.C., next weekend in the unfamiliar role of underdog – if only by ranking. No. 3 North Carolina, undefeated in ACC play, awaits the Terps, who will then end their stretch of ranked opponents against No. 19 Princeton before returning home for their last regular-season game against Virginia Tech.

“Now we’ve got to turn the corner,” Reese said. “We’ve finished our game versus Towson, which we were glad to host at home, and it was a fun game to play. Now we’re moving on to start our Ivy [League] stretch. … It will be a good run, and we’re looking forward to it.”

munson@umdbk.com