Before this season, Terrapins women’s lacrosse coach Cathy Reese acknowledged that everything might not come together immediately after returning just five starters from the 2015 squad.
Junior Nadine Hadnagy and senior Alice Mercer were the only starters to return to a defense that ended last season as the fifth-best in the country.
“We graduated some starters that played three or four years for me,” Reese said. “That’s an area where we’re working to see how we work together and what our tendencies are.”
The No. 1 Terps allowed an average of 7.27 goals per game last year, trailing only Stony Brook, Massachusetts, Albany and Delaware. In the season opener Sunday against William & Mary, which went 5-11 last season, Reese’s squad allowed seven goals.
Although that mark was close to the team’s 2015 average, the 10th-year coach wants to see the unit improve heading into Saturday afternoon’s contest against Georgetown.
“We had moments where we played great, and then sometimes we would have just one lapse and William & Mary capitalized on our mistakes,” Reese said after the Terps’ 19-7 victory over the Tribe. “They did a good a job of that.”
Tribe midfielder Shannon Quinn led her team’s offense and was able to pose a threat early in the second half. She scored a pair of unassisted goals in the first five minutes of the second period and finished the game with three goals and two draw controls.
Midfielder Abby Corkum, who scored twice, gave the Terps trouble in the first period. Nonetheless, the Terps’ offense was able to respond consistently to make sure any defensive lapses weren’t costly. “We’re all starting to mesh; it’s the beginning of the season, so it was rough at first,” freshman midfielder Caroline Steele said. “It’s just going to get better from here.”
Aside from Hadnagy and Mercer, the defense doesn’t have much experience. Juniors Morgan Torggler and Alex McKay and freshman Julia Braig all made their first career starts against William & Mary.
Despite three new starters, Reese said the Terps, who outshot the Tribe by 32-12, did a good job re-defending. She added that they need to ensure they don’t give up easy goals.
“We want to make sure when they’re scoring, we’re not making mistakes to let them score,” Reese said. “We swung our sticks a little too much. We need to tighten up in that area.”
The Terps’ defense might also benefit from a constant presence in net. Reese said goalkeepers Emily Kift, Megan Taylor and Emma Moss will all compete for starting time this season.
Last year, graduate transfer Alex Fitzpatrick provided a stable option between the pipes. She started all 22 games, posting a 45.2 percent save percentage.
Kift started against the Tribe and recorded a save. Taylor played the entire second period, tallying two saves.
Even if the defensive performance had its lapses, it was strong enough for the Terps to coast to a 12-goal win. And they still have all season to mesh.
“We’re going to be a good team if we continue working at practice and continue improving,” sophomore attacker Megan Whittle said. “I’m really excited for everyone to start contributing.”
