By midseason, sophomore JJ Suriano hadn’t lived up to expectations in her first year starting for Maryland women’s lacrosse.

The Terps’ game against Virginia on April 9 marked the third time in four games the goalkeeper was pulled due to poor play. The Terps’ four-game road stand ended with a .500 record — highlighting Suriano’s struggles in the cage.

But Suriano has overcome the bad stretch. She earned All-Big Ten Tournament honors the past week and hasn’t been removed for inadequate production since the April stretch.

Suriano had struggled this season, but with the help of senior goalkeeper Caroline Smith, she’s peaking with impeccable timing as the Terps enter the NCAA tournament.

“I think Caroline Smith has been a great resource for her,” coach Cathy Reese said on April 8. “They understand how goalies think and what they do … It just gives you a chance to reset, calm yourself down and go back in.”

Smith transferred from Butler before the 2025 season and began bonding with Suriano during the fall semester.

Despite Smith leading the Big East in saves last year and being the most experienced goalkeeper on the Terps’ roster, Reese elected to start Suriano in Maryland’s season opener.

But Suriano was pulled in favor of Julia Ward with 5:39 remaining in the third quarter. She recorded four saves on 16 shots on goal.

[Maryland women’s lacrosse earns No. 6 seed in NCAA tournament]

“Coming into the season, I kind of underestimated how much different it was going to be, actually playing in games,” Suriano said. “[Smith] definitely helped me put everything into perspective.” 

Suriano’s struggles resurfaced during Maryland’s four-game road trip between the end of March and early April. The first time she returned after getting pulled was against Arizona State, as Suriano was substituted with Ward with fewer than eight minutes remaining in the second quarter.

While Suriano was on the sidelines, Smith talked to her about adjusting her positioning during eight-meter shots. Smith said Suriano can get “jumpy” and take herself out of position.

When Suriano returned to the cage with 8:44 remaining in the third quarter, Smith’s in-game adjustments translated into immediate results. Suriano made six saves on the final eight shots on goal. 

“[Now] I can just say during a timeout ‘hold’ and she knows exactly what I mean, and … she’s able to fix it and then make the next save,” Smith said.

[Maryland women’s lacrosse showed resilience despite gut-wrenching loss in Big Ten finals]

While Suriano struggled again against Virginia, she finished the season by stopping at least 42.9 percent of opponents’ shots on goal in five of her past six games. Her best performance was in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Wildcats, who excelled in free-position opportunities in the programs’ first meeting, couldn’t convert on any opportunities against Suriano.

“Honestly, it was kind of just adjusting my positioning and where I stand initially,” Suriano said. “If I’m in the right position, then I have a really good chance at making that save, and I think that was kind of the biggest thing [from] talking with [Smith].”

While Maryland lost the Big Ten Championship, Suriano became the first Maryland women’s lacrosse goalkeeper since 2017 to record 18 saves in a single game. Suriano’s performance marked her second consecutive game with double-digit saves and helped her earn a spot on the Big Ten Tournament Team.

“There [were] a couple of games this year where I wasn’t necessarily proud of my performance,” Suriano said. “So just kind of being able to mentally bounce back and put my best effort out was super exciting, so I’m very proud about that.”