Cathy Reese
On Feb. 17, the then-No. 4 Terrapins women’s lacrosse team stepped onto the turf at the Carrier Dome — home of then-No. 2 Syracuse — for an early-season contest between two of the sport’s premier programs.
Midfielder Katie Scharzmann and the Terps turned the highly anticipated matchup into a blowout, however. The Terps pestered the Orange with 34 shots — seven of which flew from Schwarzmann’s stick to the back of the net.
In the three months since, the two squads veered in different directions. The Terps completed their first undefeated campaign in four years. The Orange dropped key matchups against Florida and Northwestern, dipped as low as No. 8 in the rankings and lost star attacker Michelle Tumolo to a torn ACL on April 16.
Now, the two teams once again find themselves as opponents. On Friday, the No. 1-seed Terps will take on No. 4-seed Syracuse in the NCAA tournament semifinals with a championship berth on the line.
With Tumolo sidelined, the Orange needed to find new ways to manufacture offense. Attacker Kayla Treanor has helped shouldered the burden — her 67 scores lead the team.
Treanor and fellow attacker Alyssa Murray have helped carry Syracuse to 15.33 goals per game, good for second in the nation. They have averaged 16.75 goals in their past four contests, three of which have come against nationally ranked teams.
But a Terps defense that struggled to maintain consistency earlier in the season is in a rhythm. With ACC Defensive Player of the Year Iliana Sanza leading the way, the defense hasn’t allowed more than nine goals in the past seven games.
Defender Alice Mercer, an Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Region second team member, has proven critical for the Terps, helping Sanza and defender Melissa Diepold clog scoring lanes and harass attackers.
The Terps were able to overpower the Orange in a low-pressure regular-season matchup. Now coach Cathy Reese’s squad will try to do it again with a spot in the championship on the line.
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