Saint Joseph’s midfielder Lizzie McLaughlin attempted to clear the ball in the final minute of the first quarter against Maryland women’s lacrosse. Eloise Clevenger prevented that from happening.
The Maryland attacker deflected a pass intended for MaryRose Berry. Eloise Clevenger won the ensuing ground ball, quickly launching an attack on the Saint Joseph’s goal. She found a cutting Kori Edmondson, who fired in the Terps’ sixth goal of the quarter.
Edmondson was one of 10 Terps to put their name on the scoresheet in a balanced 13-goal win Friday in Philadelphia.
“We want to be a team where anyone can score,” coach Cathy Reese said. “Any of the seven people on the field at a time are dangerous, it doesn’t matter who you are.”
The offensive prowess of Eloise and Maisy Clevenger was on full display against the Hawks. The sister duo combined for all of Maryland’s registered assists. Eloise Clevenger finished with seven, one shy of tying her own school record of eight in a single game.
[No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse opens 2024 with dominant 16-3 win over Saint Joseph’s]
Many of the Terps’ goals against Saint Joseph began the same. Either Eloise or Maisy Clevenger held the ball in their stick behind the Hawks’ goal, searching for an open teammate. Just four minutes into the game, that strategy introduced itself.
Eloise Clevenger, who led the Terps last season with 47 assists, drifted from one side of the goal to the other while behind the goal line. Midfielder Shaylan Ahearn darted into open space as attacker Libby May drew a defender with her. Eloise Clevenger passed to Ahearn, who beat Saint Joseph goalie Jorden Concordia in one swift motion.
“She can score and she can assist. Eloise has great vision,” Reese said. “She’s a playmaker.”
If it wasn’t Eloise Clevenger, it was Maisy Clevenger. Her second assist of the game was very similar to Eloise Clevenger’s in the first quarter.
She started behind the goal and received a pass from Maggie Weisman. Before Maisy Clevenger had time to scan the entire offensive zone, another Maryland midfielder made a cut towards the goal off the ball. This time it was Shannon Smith.
[Maryland women’s lacrosse knows it needs to score more to improve off disappointing 2023]
Smith received the feed from Maisy Clevenger and beat Concordia low for the Terps’ eighth goal of the game. It was Maisy Clevenger’s second assist, the fifth between the sister duo.
“All of our assists were by Clevengers today,” Reese said.
Maisy Clevenger added her first collegiate goal in the fourth quarter to cap off a three point performance in her Terps debut.
Maryland entered the 2024 campaign looking to improve its shooting. Its mark of 38 percent against the Hawks — 16 shots made for 42 attempts — worried Reese following the double-digit victory.But a balanced attack that features a plethora of different goal scorers could provide the blueprint for the Terps raising their shooting percentage.
“This whole week we focused on dodging, focused on catching and throwing, sticking to the basics,” Edmondson said. “I think we came out, we executed that game plan.”
