En route to a 9-0 record while averaging about 16 goals per game, the Maryland women’s lacrosse team has prided itself on dissecting opposing defenses.
The tactics continued against James Madison’s zone in the No. 1 Terps’ 16-11 win Saturday.
“Every team that we play is playing a different kind of defense, a different style, and no two teams are going to be alike,” coach Cathy Reese said. “For us, I’m really proud of the way our team is handling it.”
[Read more: A balanced attack led Maryland women’s lacrosse past James Madison, 16-11]
Against the Dukes, the Terps had four players notch hat tricks while seven total added a goal. Earlier in the week, the team managed to push 17 goals past then-No. 16 Johns Hopkins and 11 by No. 11 Penn.
Reese said each foe demonstrated a different type of zone defense, but she was impressed with how her attacking players read the schemes and capitalized.
Attacker Megan Whittle, one of the four Terps with a hat trick, said their ability to break down the Dukes’ defense stemmed from the team’s ability to score from any area on the field, regardless of which player had the ball.
The main principle of the team’s preparation — always being ready for anything the other team presents — was also a factor.
“We’re going to see a lot of different styles of defense,” Whittle said. “For our team, it’s about figuring out how to adjust. Figure it out, recognize what’s going on and adjust, and then just accomplish the goals that we want to. Continue moving around with the ball, scoring and making good, smart plays.”
The Terps accomplished that Saturday. It took about 13 minutes into the first half to establish rhythm on offense, but a strong run in the latter part of the period displayed the team’s increased understanding of the Dukes’ defense.
Maryland used runs and cuts in front of goal to break down James Madison’s zone setup. On the team’s third score, Whittle circled the eight-meter arc and attacker Caroline Steele darted in front of goal. No Dukes defenders tracked Steele, and Whittle found her wide open, where the sophomore finished from point-blank range.
Similar movements gave the Terps other opportunities throughout the game. Midfielder Zoe Stukenberg attributed the attacking success to quick passing, which she admitted could be difficult to maintain when trying to crack a zone at full speed.
“We were keeping our head up as we were driving,” Stukenberg said. “That was the most effective thing on offense that we could do today, to drive, then to hit the cutter off of your drive.”
Whittle said James Madison’s zone was something the Terps “hadn’t seen before,” so it took some time to comprehend. However, that didn’t mean the Terps abandoned their game plan.
“Offensively, we’re just working on being able to still do us,” Whittle said. “We want to still do the offense we want to, regardless of what the defense is throwing at us.”
