Maryland women’s lacrosse coach Cathy Reese challenged her offense on Wednesday following their second loss of the season. She wanted to see her unit stay under ten turnovers.
The group entered Thursday’s contest against Oregon averaging 18 turnovers over its last four games. Upon Reese’s request, the Terps committed just three turnovers against the Ducks— its fewest all season.
Maryland’s low turnover volume and strong defense helped it rebound against Oregon, cruising to an 16-4 win at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.
“[The lack of] turnovers were awesome,” Reese said. “I thought we did a nice job taking care of the draw [and] we spread the ball out well.”
Maryland’s freshman unit struggled during its last four games, committing 23 combined turnovers over that stretch.
While Maryland’s freshman group had struggled, the team had several players committing turnovers. At least nine players recorded at least one turnover in their last four games, but against Oregon, only three players recorded a turnover.
The improved performance led Maryland’s offense to score its third-highest goal total this season.
In Maryland’s (7-2, 3-1 Big Ten) last game, it fell behind by seven in the opening quarter to No. 3 Northwestern. The Terps’ start on Thursday was significantly better, with goalkeeper JJ Suriano playing a major factor.
[Maryland women’s lacrosse’s season-long turnover issues were costly against Northwestern]
The redshirt freshman made two saves on free-position chances in the opening six minutes and set the tone for the rest of the game. Suriano was stellar against the Ducks, posting five saves and a .714 save rate while shutting out Oregon (5-6, 0-4 Big Ten) until the 2:49 mark of the second quarter.
The goalkeeper played less than ten minutes in the third quarter as a result of Maryland’s 11-2 lead.
Against the Wildcats, Suriano recorded a .385 save rate. She carried that strong performance into the next game, with the Terps’ offense providing support.
“When our defense makes a great stop, it’s like we want to reward it,” midfielder Kori Edmondson said. “If they make a stop, it’s really our goal to score for them.”
Following a possession in which Suriano made two saves on free-position shots, Maryland did just that.
Maisy Clevenger opened the scoring on a sharp-angle shot, sparking a sequence where Clevenger recorded a point on four consecutive possessions.
After winning the draw following her score, Clevenger assisted her teammates from behind the net.
With 4:32 left in the first quarter, Clevenger surveyed her options from behind the net at the X position before finding unmarked attacker Shelby Sullivan, who quickly ripped a shot past senior goalkeeper Paige Crowther.
[No. 5 Maryland women’s lacrosse rides third quarter surge to defeat Penn State, 19-11]
The next two Maryland goals were almost identical as Clevenger set up teammates Emma Abbazia and Lauren LaPointe, giving Maryland a 4-0 advantage at the end of the quarter.
“[It] shows how much she is a quarterback of this team, especially the offense,” Edmondson said. “So her just kind of settling into her role has been awesome.”
LaPointe entered the game with just one goal this season but recorded her first career hat trick against the Ducks.
Sullivan and midfielder Kori Edmondson each tallied three or more goals for the Terps. For Sullivan, it was her third hat trick, while it was Edmondson’s sixth and third time reaching the four-goal mark this season.
The minimal turnovers are a good sign for the Terps as three of its next four games come against ranked opponents. Their first game of the gauntlet is against No. 15 Penn — who averages over 13 goals a game. Maryland looks to replicate its offensive success from Thursday and limit turnovers to open a win streak.
