In Maryland women’s lacrosse’s quarterfinal matchup, the Terps were missing a key starter in midfielder Kayla Gilmore. In the semifinals, it was their opponent who was short a crucial player.
Tewaaraton Award Nominee goalkeeper Erin O’Grady did not dress in Michigan’s Friday night contest. Without her presence in the cage, the Terps advanced to the Big Ten Championship with a 13-10 victory at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.
“Tonight’s game was a battle,” coach Cathy Reese said. “It was really just great to see how our girls … kept fighting through the past couple days to make it to the championship.”
O’Grady played nearly every minute for Michigan this season, starting the Wolverines’ prior game against USC. But the senior was substituted for graduate student Maya Santa-Maria with over two minutes remaining in the first half and never returned.
[Maryland women’s lacrosse avenges last season’s upset with 17-11 win over Rutgers]
O’Grady’s .540 season save rate and 150 saves — the second most in the Big Ten — helped anchor a Wolverines defensive unit that surrendered the third fewest goals in the Big Ten. Santa-Maria, appearing in her first game since April 6, made two saves in relief of O’Grady against USC. But after limited action this season, Maryland capitalized on her rust Friday night.
The Terps scored on their first three possessions and forced a timeout from the Wolverines just over five minutes into the game.
One of the first three Maryland goal scorers was attacker Lauren LaPointe. The sophomore didn’t score in the schools’ previous meeting on March 16, but LaPointe scored three times on Friday.
LaPointe frequently targeted the lower portion of the cage in her three-goal performance in Maryland’s previous game — a strategy she continued against Michigan, with all her goals coming on low shots.
“She’s been a really versatile play for us,” Reese said. “She’s playing behind, she’s playing up top, she’s running, … she’s all over the place, and I love how she’s really embraced that role and embraced every opportunity she’s had with the ball.”
While LaPointe was one of just five Maryland goal scorers, the Terps’ offense remained efficient through the first three quarters.. After shooting around 41 percent in their previous game, they maintained a similar mark despite a fourth-quarter lull. Maryland scored once in the final quarter, but goalkeeper JJ Suraino helped stave off a Michigan comeback.
[Team captains help Maryland women’s lacrosse overcome recent offense struggles]
Suriano struggled in her first meeting with Michigan, posting her second-worst save percentage against a conference opponent this season. But in the rematch, the sophomore delivered a stellar performance. Suriano tied a career-high with 12 saves and a .565 save rate.
“I think as the season’s going on, I’ve just begun to trust myself more,” Suriano said. “Now I’m kind of leaning back, letting the game come to me, and just playing it more simple.”
The Terps will need strong performances from Suriano and their offense against Northwestern on Sunday. In their last meeting, Maryland fell behind 8-1 after the first quarter and never recovered.
“We knew after going back through that we had more in us than we showed that day,” Reese said. “We knew that we could have made more defensive stops, we could have made more saves, we could have attacked the cage more and scored more opportunities.”
It’s a familiar matchup in the title game. Maryland and Northwestern have combined to win all nine Big Ten championships and have faced each other in four finals. The Wildcats have won the last two tournaments, while Maryland’s last title came in 2022.
