Maryland women’s lacrosse attacker Caroline Steele laid on her back after a Virginia player’s shoulder appeared to smack her chest. The referee awarded the Terps a free position, but the Cavaliers fans felt Steele exaggerated the contact.
“Nice fall,” one fan shouted. “Hollywood!”
Later on, the traveling group of Maryland supporters drowned out the home fans’ complaints, singing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” several times as Steele erupted for five goals and two assists, igniting the No. 1 Terps’ comeback in their 16-11 victory over No. 18 Virginia on Wednesday.
“That’s funny,” Steele said of the “Hollywood” remark, although she didn’t hear it. “That kind of stuff, it just makes me laugh.”
The foul on Steele came with the Terps trailing, 5-3, with fewer than seven minutes left in the first half. After passing on the free position, she regained the ball, dodged a defender and slotted a shot past Cavalier goalkeeper Rachel Vander Kolk.
Steele’s goal was her first of the game, and the first of three consecutive scores to put the Terps (12-0) in front for the first time.
Soon after halftime, the Terps and Cavaliers were tied at 10, but the Severna Park native continued her momentum out of intermission, notching a pair of consecutive goals to give the Terps a lead they never let slip away.
Coach Cathy Reese thought Steele’s performance was indicative of the Terps’ attitude toward trailing the Cavaliers (7-6). Before Wednesday, they hadn’t been behind in the second half this season. In an away environment with heckling fans, the coach felt Steele and her teammates remained calm.
“We need to be the team that just isn’t frazzled by anything, by fouls or by the way the teams are playing,” Reese said. “We need to stay true to ourselves, and that’s something that we always aim for and always shoot for as a team.”
Virginia’s play style limited some of Maryland’s normal attacking options. Attacker Caroline Wannen leads the team in assists but was held without a point. The Cavaliers cut off midfielder Zoe Stukenberg’s lanes to goal as well, so the Terps needed a spark.
Steele generally makes cuts to get on the end of feeds in front of the goal. However, the sophomore took on an unfamiliar position as a dodger at the top of the attacking area. She excelled in that role.
Midfielder Jen Giles called Steele’s performance “amazing.” Steele used her ability to dodge from anywhere and remain a constant threat, Giles added.
“We needed a little bit of power, so I was like, ‘You know what, I’m just going to try and go hard and see if something happens,'” Steele said. “I’m not always the dodger, but I was just trying to work hard, go hard, get open for my teammates. Then in the second half, we just started clicking.”
Despite opening the campaign with just two goals through the opening four games, Steele has scored 23 in the past eight contests. She’s third on the team in scores (25).
As for the “Hollywood” tag, it might be a running joke for the Terps as they prepare to take on Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey, on Saturday night.
“It’s a good name, right?” Reese joked. “I think I’m going to call her ‘Hollywood.'”
