Despite the Maryland women’s lacrosse team’s excitement about reaching the Big Ten championship game after defeating Johns Hopkins on Friday, the Terps weren’t satisfied.
The Terps battled to a 19-16 victory, but it was the most goals they’d allowed in a game all season. Attacker Megan Whittle said they strayed from their normal standard of play. When asked if there was anything the team would focus on when preparing for the final, she laughed.
“A little bit of defense,” Whittle said.
The No. 1 Terps accomplished their mission, shoring up the defense en route to a 14-6 victory over Northwestern and second consecutive Big Ten title on Sunday.
Coach Cathy Reese said Maryland organized, got on the same page and played “really well defensively.”
It began with the opening possession of the contest. Northwestern (10-9) won the opening draw and worked the 90-second shot clock down to single digits before Maryland goalkeeper Megan Taylor made a save.
The Wildcats recovered the rebound and cycled the ball as the clock waned again. But again, the Terps (19-0) closed off passing and shooting lanes until they earned possession.
Though the Wildcats possessed the ball for the opening three minutes, Maryland stood firm, which defender Nadine Hadnagy said helped set the tone in the win.
“From last game to this game it was a completely different team defensively,” Hadnagy said. “We helped each other out. We communicated. We trusted each other.”
Knowing the prowess of Northwestern’s leading scorer, Christina Esposito, Maryland executed a game plan of early slides and covering for one another. The Terps held her to just one score.
Midfielder Zoe Stukenberg said the Terps’ main issue against Johns Hopkins was their tendency to play “individual defense,” something she said they fixed against Northwestern.
Team defense allowed the Terps to force a series of low, difficult-angle shots that Taylor covered easily. The goalie finished with 16 saves.
“She saved our butt on a couple where we got lucky,” Stukenberg said. “We’ll work in the future to make sure we don’t have to get lucky and we can just play really solid defense.”
Late in the game, the Terps maintained intense defensive pressure, beginning with high-pressing attackers. Whittle and her fellow attackers pressured Northwestern’s ball carriers before they entered their offensive zone. Then, once the Wildcats completed clears, they were stifled by the Terps’ back line.
Maryland’s defense didn’t allow the Wildcats to score in the final 14 and a half minutes.
With one minute and 45 seconds remaining, defender Meghan Doherty stripped Northwestern attacker Shelby Fredericks and scooped the ball. Though the Terps were in control at that point, the bench cheered as if Doherty had caused the turnover in a tie game.
The sideline’s reaction illustrated the impact of the team’s defensive effort in its final game before the NCAA tournament.
“There are still holes and there is still room for improvement,” Stukenberg said. “But everyone did a really good job today of just buckling down and being better. We needed to be better and I thought we did that today.”
