Against Penn State on Thursday, the Maryland women’s lacrosse team needed a spark in its closest contest of the season.
Senior midfielder Zoe Stukenberg answered the call.
With the No. 1 Terps unable to take a halftime lead for the first time this year, their captain stepped up with a goal and two assists to start the second half against the No. 5 Nittany Lions. Her contributions gave the squad a lead it didn’t relinquish in its 16-14 victory.
“I definitely went into the second half wanting to contribute on offense and be dangerous,” Stukenberg said. “I definitely had some openings in the first half that I should have taken better advantage of, so I worked in the second half to be more dangerous and it paid off.”
Level with Penn State four minutes into the second half, Stukenberg battled through contact and fired low past goalkeeper Cat Rainone. Nittany Lions attacker Madison Carter equalized about a minute later, but Stukenberg responded.
She threaded a pass in front of goal to assist midfielder Kali Hartshorn’s score. Then, working from behind the net, she found attacker Caroline Wannen, who put the Terps (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten) up, 10-8.
Just four minutes passed between Stukenberg’s score and the Wannen goal, putting the Terps in control for the rest of the game.
Stukenberg led the Terps with two goals and four assists, but it was the plays she made early in the second half that put the game beyond the reach of the Nittany Lions (14-2, 4-1 Big Ten).
Attacker Megan Whittle laughed when considering Stukenberg’s contributions against Penn State, saying she came up big for the Terps, “as always, as expected.” Whittle said Stukenberg does everything for the Terps and called her an ideal player.
“She’s a very valuable asset on our team, and her and Jen Giles’ ability to run the midfield for the entire game is really impressive,” Whittle said. “That comes up huge, and it’s plays like [Stukenberg’s three-point stretch] that build up our momentum.”
Stukenberg played every minute of the matchup with the Nittany Lions, leading coach Cathy Reese to applaud her efforts in all facets of the game.
Reese and Whittle pointed to Stukenberg’s ability to make defensive stops, push the Terps forward in transition and get draw controls — she tied for the team lead against the Nittany Lions with four — as reasons she is so vital to the team.
“We feed off of her energy, we really do, and all over the field,” Reese said. “She plays with so much heart and hustle and passion and enthusiasm, that it’s just contagious all over the field. She’s that leader for us and that person that, when we need a spark, she can give it to us.”
Stukenberg’s performance ignited the Terps’ late run to pull away from the Nittany Lions, and though she said she wanted to contribute more on offense, she credited her teammates for being on the finishing end.
“Right place, right time, as always,” Stukenberg said. “It’s really easy to get a bunch of assists when you have such amazing people doing such great cuts and finishing their opportunities. It was a good change in momentum for the team.”
