Kori Edmondson expected to play midfield with the 2024 U20 USA National Team in Hong Kong this past summer. But coach Kelly Amonte Hiller surprised her during one of the team’s training camps.

She told the Terps’ midfielder to play defense — a shift from the position Edmondson played her entire career.

“I was like, Kelly, I haven’t played defense. I didn’t play defense in the spring,” Edmondson said.

Hiller planned for Edmondson to play just a few reps, but the junior demonstrated her ability to succeed in the position.

Edmondson’s experience as a defender with Team USA is evident in her play this season with No. 5 Maryland.  Her defensive game is stronger. She leads the Terps in ground balls and is tied at second for most caused turnovers.

[Maryland women’s lacrosse’s defense stifled James Madison in season-best showing]

“[She’s] a two-way middie,” coach Cathy Reese said. “Kori is on the draw circle right now … and then we’re asking her to play defense [and] we’re asking her to help us push the ball in transition.”

Before the 2025 season, most of Edmondson’s impact had come from her offense. She combined for 79 goals in her first two seasons, tallying 27 combined ground balls and 11 caused turnovers.

This season, Edmondson already has 13 ground balls and six caused turnovers in five games.

“It’s game experience, it’s understanding, it’s being able to react to different situations,” Reese said. “She was an excellent player prior to that, but it just gives her different things that she’s now seen that maybe she hadn’t seen prior to that experience.”

[No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse gets first ranked win over No. 12 James Madison, 11-5]

While the national and NCAA levels use different play styles,Reese and Edmondson emphasized confidence as the biggest factor in Edmondson’s defensive development. The junior said recognizing tendencies in international play helps her communicate more effectively with her Maryland teammates.

“My freshman [and] sophomore year, I felt like I was just a lost puppy,” Edmondson said. “I feel like I was kind of just looking around.”

While Edmondson’s defensive game has improved, she’s on pace to break all her previous offensive statistics. She has recorded 15 goals through her first five games and is on pace for 48 goals. Edmondson would also end the season with roughly 13 assists, surpassing her previous high of six.

“I knew I was in a position where it’s like, I can learn a lot right now from this spot,” Edmondson said. “I had great coaches over there who really taught me new things to really relay here.”