Maryland women’s lacrosse coach Cathy Reese wanted her team to calm down.
Not because her team was anxious about facing No. 1 North Carolina in a national championship rematch, but because the No. 2 Terps were having too much fun dancing and staying loose during the weather delay Saturday, midfielder Jen Giles remembered.
After waiting about two hours for the Maryland men’s lacrosse team’s game to end in the Maryland Stadium doubleheader, the Terps brought that energy to the field for a 13-10 win.
“We all were just playing games and keeping each other company,” Giles said. “We’re all good friends in there, so it was good.”
Before their locker room antics, Reese had given her team pregame talk at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex and told them to prepare to leave for Maryland Stadium. Soon, though, she learned the men’s game endured a second weather delay with 37 remaining. It lasted for almost two hours.
The veteran coach joked the weather ruined her plans to attend the Maryland men’s basketball game against Iowa at 6 p.m.
“The weather is what it is, it’s something you can’t control,” Reese said. “Both teams are kind of held just stuck here waiting and sitting around, and it’s never easy. It’s not easy for anyone, but we were excited to play.”
The anticipation showed from the opening whistle.
Though North Carolina won the first draw, defender Nadine Hadnagy caused a turnover and a successful clear allowed Giles to set up freshman midfielder Kali Hartshorn for the opening goal 31 seconds into the game.
The Tar Heels got the ball back after the restart, but a save from sophomore goalkeeper Megan Taylor sprung attacker Megan Whittle in transition. Whittle found attacker Taylor Hensh open, and Hensh drew a foul and scored on a free-position shot.
Hartshorn won the ensuing draw, and Whittle scored her 150th career goal. Within five minutes, the Terps were up, 3-0.
Reese said the atmosphere contributed to the buzz. Playing at Maryland Stadium for the first time in 10 years, the Terps were bolstered by a program-record crowd of 3,868.
“It’s our first game in this stadium in a really long time, and just a cool environment,” Reese said. “There were a ton of fans here tonight and a lot of energy in the stadium.”
Senior midfielder Zoe Stukenberg, who scored three goals, caused two turnovers and picked up four ground balls, echoed Giles’ thoughts on the pregame festivities before their on-field burst.
“We’re a fun team, we really enjoy each other’s company, so it wasn’t torture to be sitting there,” Stukenberg said. “We were lucky to be in our locker room, listening to music, playing games, having fun. It’s not like a chore for us to hang out for two hours.”
