Denver raced into the attacking zone trailing by two with about a minute to go, needing a goal.
Olivia Penoyer had the ball in her stick and fired a shot low toward goal. But Maryland goalie Emily Sterling stood strong between the ball and the net.
Sterling’s 10th and final save of the day was her biggest. No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse defeated No. 10 Denver, 10-8, on Saturday.
The Terps earned their second ranked victory on the road this season. They beat No. 5 Syracuse in February in overtime.
Shaylan Ahearn aided the Terps in winning the opening four draw controls, something Maryland failed to do in its second half collapse against Florida last weekend. The extra possessions proved pivotal in the early moments of the game.
Victoria Hensh opened the scoring for the Terps after the attacking unit failed on their first two free position opportunities. Kori Edmondson and Hannah Leubecker both fired wide following Denver fouls.
On the third chance from eight meters, Maisy Clevenger opted for a different approach.
Clevenger passed across the goal to Leubecker instead of shooting. Leubecker caught the freshman’s feed and beat Denver goalie Emelia Bohi for Maryland’s second goal of the quarter. Libby May added a third goal for the Terps soon after.
“She’s one of the best, if not the best in the country,” Maryland head coach Cathy Reese said of Ahearn. “That was a huge reason why we were able to have possession of the ball … the draw control was huge.”
Maryland dominance on the draw control continued throughout the first half.
[Maryland women’s lacrosse aims to improve shooting with another ranked opponent on deck]
Meghan Ball obtained the first draw control in the second quarter. Addy Jenkins fouled the Maryland defender in the process and received a yellow card.
The Terps went a player-up, and Kori Edmondson capitalized on their first player-up chance of the game after receiving a pass from Eloise Clevenger less than a minute into the period. Edmondson’s ninth goal of the season pushed the Terps’ lead to 5-2.
Shannon Smith and Eloise Clevenger added their names onto the scoresheet in the quarter as six different players scored for the Terps. Their tallies put Maryland ahead by two at halftime at 7-5.
Maryland’s defense stifled Denver over the opening 28 minutes despite the Pioneers holding the advantage in shots.
Jane Earley started the scoring two minutes into the contest. Only Caroline Colimore and Julia Gilbert could match Earley’s feat of beating Sterling.
Sterling made six saves and warded off four different free position shots from the Pioneers, but a disastrous final two minutes of the half followed. Gilbert and Penoyer scored within 12 seconds of each other to cut Maryland’s lead to one before Eloise Clevenger’s crucial finish with two seconds remaining in the second quarter.
The Terps’ balanced scoring continued into the second half.
Attacker Maggie Weisman hit the back of the net on another player-up opportunity for Maryland’s first goal in the new half. She scored her second on a free position shot later in the quarter.
[Maryland women’s lacrosse’s lack of discipline led to Florida loss]
Hensh was the only Terp to score at least twice in the first half and completed her hat trick in the third quarter. She dodged toward the middle of the field after catching a pass from Smith, reared back and fired high at Bohi. Her attempt snuck in under the crossbar and rippled the net to put the Terps up three goals at 9-6.
Gilbert scored the only two Pioneer goals in the third to keep Denver within three goals entering the final quarter. One of her strikes came from a free position.
Pioneers’ attacker Sloane Kipp scored in the fourth quarter while Denver was a player up. Before her strike and Gilbert’s free position score, Denver faltered on similar opportunities to allow Maryland to grow its lead.
The Terps struck twice while up a player and once on a free position shot. Leubecker’s goal in the first quarter came off a free-position pass from Maisy Clevenger.
“We did have a couple of good man-up looks, couple turnovers. On our free positions, I think we maybe scored one but we passed off of one too … I don’t know if it’s as bad as the numbers look,” Reese said. “We’re still going to be a work in progress.”
Maryland failed to score during the fourth quarter, but that didn’t hurt the Terps. Their defense conceded just one goal in the final frame — Kipp’s score. After giving up 11 goals in the second half to Florida in a loss, Maryland’s defense ensured another ranked road victory.
“Denver is a really tough team … proud of our team and our effort today and we’re able to kind of stick it out even when things were really tough through the fourth quarter,” Reese said.
