The day before No. 8 Maryland women’s lacrosse faced Oregon, coach Cathy Reese challenged her offense in nearly every way. The Terps were just off a season-low four-goal outing against No. 3 Northwestern.
Reese wanted her unit to limit its turnovers after tying a season-high against the Wildcats. She questioned her team’s physical and mental toughness.
Maryland – facing a similar style of defense with the Ducks on Thursday – adjusted. The Terps made quicker passes and attacked from all areas of the field, securing their best offensive outing in two weeks.
“We were consistent through each quarter with our scoring,” Reese said. “[We were] well balanced on the offensive end, where everything was spread out, so just pleased with how we responded from our Northwestern loss.”
Maryland’s offense struggled against Northwestern when the Wildcats applied heavy pressure in the midfield and outside the 12-meter mark. The Ducks utilized the same tactic on the Terps’ opening possession, aggressively pursuing the midfield.
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When senior defender Sophie Halus ran through the midfield pressure, Oregon continued to pressure Maryland near the 12-meter lines.
The Terps’ next possession was much of the same. Their third nearly produced another scoreless one, until sophomore attacker Maisy Clevenger ripped a sharp angle shot past senior goalkeeper Paige Crowther with seven seconds remaining on the shot clock.
“I think we were waiting to see what the defense was playing,” junior midfielder Kori Edmondson said. “We also weren’t attacking those first couple minutes, which was why we were back on our own heels.”
Maryland’s offense attacked from that point on.The Terps scored on three of their next four possessions, making multiple short and sharp passes around the 12-meter mark before moving the ball behind the net to Clevenger at the X position. The sophomore quickly moved the ball to a cutting teammate for an easy shot on goal.
[Team USA enhanced Kori Edmondson’s defensive skills for Maryland women’s lacrosse]
When Oregon’s defense shifted to take away the pass behind the net in the following quarter, Maryland adjusted by constantly making dodges toward the eight-meter arc and drawing contact. The Terps drew four free-position attempts and two yellow cards in the second period.
Edmondson’s second goal of the game epitomized the offense’s adjustment.
She received a pass between the eight and 12-meter mark and immediately cut to her right. Edmondson spun away from her defender and drove to her left side before rifling a shot past Crowther while getting checked in the head and drawing a yellow card on midfielder Jenae Sperling. The play gave the Terps a 7-0 lead and let them retain possession.
Maryland’s second-half offense to counter Oregon’s defensive pressure was the same. The unit’s quick passes resulted in seven different goal-scorers accounting for eight goals, with four coming on assists.
Three different Terps finished with a hat trick or better. Similar outings will be needed over the rest of the season for an offense that’s average in comparison to the rest of the Big Ten and only one player averaging more than two goals per game.
“Overall I thought our stick work was a little sharper, we were a little more on target and executing better,” Reese said. “That’s what we need to do, is maintain that focus and level of consistency.”
