Entering the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Maryland women’s lacrosse had lost the draw battle in back-to-back games for the first time all season.
The Terps dropped the opening draw against Fairfield but quickly flipped the script, outdueling the Stags in the circle, 15-12.
Backed by their performance in the draw circle and a potent offensive attack, No. 6-seeded Maryland defeated unseeded Fairfield, 16-7, at the Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex on Friday in the programs’ first-ever meeting.
Maryland earned its 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament first-round win and will host the winner of Penn and Army.
“I thought in the first half we were excellent in the draw,” coach Cathy Reese said. “Their draw team is very good, so for us to be able to counteract that and come up with as many draws as we did was really good for us today.”
[With the help of Caroline Smith, JJ Suriano is peaking late for Maryland women’s lacrosse]
Fairfield entered Friday’s contest having won nine of its previous ten games, largely behind its success in the draw circle. But Kayla Gilmore disrupted that trend, securing nine of her 10 draw attempts and halting the Stags’ momentum. Her dominance helped fuel a 7-0 Maryland run early in the game.
The Terps had scored just seven times against Northwestern in the Big Ten championship, but surpassed that total just over 20 minutes into Friday’s second quarter. Unlike that lopsided loss, Maryland’s offense was balanced — with nine different players finding the back of the net.
“We got time from everyone that could have played today, which was great, and got to see them be able to contribute in different ways,” coach Cathy Reese said. “I love when we can see the depth, and everybody contributing. It’s something we’ve been emphasizing all year.”
Still, much of Maryland’s early offense came from junior midfielder Kori Edmondson, who entered the game amid career highs in goals, assists and points. The Tewaaraton nominee starred again, factoring into three of Maryland’s first five goals. She added a third goal in the third quarter, slipping a shot between the legs of Fairfield freshman goalkeeper Keira Furey.
[Maryland women’s lacrosse earns No. 6 seed in NCAA tournament]
Edmondson’s third goal not only marked her sixth straight game with at least a hat trick, but also gave coach Cathy Reese the chance to substitute Kayla Gilmore for attacker Hailey Russo on the draw.
The senior had taken draws intermittently throughout the season — most notably in the Big Ten Quarterfinals, when Gilmore was out for personal reasons. Russo helped Maryland to 21 draw controls in that win over Rutgers, and she added four more against Fairfield, helping the Terps maintain a comfortable lead down the stretch.
After the Big Ten Championship loss to Northwestern, Reese said she needed more from her attackers. Sophomore Lauren LaPointe delivered. She scored a career-best five goals — nearly a third of Maryland’s total — and posted her third multi-goal performance in the last four games.
“I think it’s just the chemistry with my teammates,” LaPointe said. “I think I’ve really grown a lot closer to them just through this tournament play and so many games in a short amount of time.”
