Cathy Reese called No. 7 Maryland women’s lacrosse’s shooting performance “unacceptable” after her team shot under 30 percent against Ohio State on Sunday. Reese expressed similar frustrations in a timeout during the Terps’ contest against Rutgers, imploring her team in the huddle to “move the ball”.
The Terps’ offense remained stagnant against the Scarlet Knights. Maryland only scored twice in the first half and was shooting at a 20 percent clip through three quarters.
But Reese’s team finally woke up in the final frame, scoring goals on three straight possessions to open the fourth quarter. A Jordyn Lipkin goal gave her a hat trick, and then Kori Edmondson, the squad’s leading scorer, netted consecutive goals on the ensuing possessions to give Maryland a two goal lead.
The late push kept the Terps’ Big Ten title chances alive, squeaking by Rutgers, 8-7, on Wednesday.
[Cathy Reese calls Maryland’s shooting percentage against Ohio State ‘unacceptable’]
Maryland struggled to find space against Rutgers’ zone defense for a majority of the game. Terps’ attackers recorded 22 shots on goal, but Scarlet Knights’ goalie Lexie Coldiron, the nation’s leader in saves, recorded 14 stops, her most in the last eight games.
Lipkin, a usually reliable free position scorer, failed to capitalize on a free shot late in the first half. She redeemed herself with a free position goal later in the game and recorded her fourth hat trick of the season.
The senior was the only Terp to convert over 50% of her shot attempts. She rebounded from a zero goal showing against Ohio State.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t the offense that kept Maryland in the game. Goalie JJ Suriano has struggled recently, being benched in multiple games. But the sophomore had one of her best showings of the season on Wednesday.
She played all 60 minutes against Rutgers, only her second complete game in the last seven contests. In the game’s final two frames, she kept the Scarlet Knights scoreless for over 20 minutes. Her dominance in net allowed the Terps to go on a 5-0 run and grab a two goal lead.
[Maryland women’s lacrosse’s second quarter performances defined its road trip]
After a stretch mired by inconsistency, the Terps’ defense held their opponent under eight goals for the second game in a row. Maryland had previously surrendered eight goals or more in seven of its eight games.
Two Rutgers goals within a minute tied the game with six minutes remaining, though. Sophomore Alex Popham seemed to even give the Scarlet Knights an advantage, but she was called for a penalty and disqualified from the game.
An Edmondson goal with under five minutes remaining granted Maryland the lead. It was a breakthrough from the free position spot and saved the Terps’ chances at a conference championship.
Maryland will need Northwestern to lose its next two contests, which is unlikely to happen considering the Wildcats undefeated conference record. But it’s an encouraging sign that the Terps have managed to win two games with their defense, something that’s rarely happened lately.