The graduate goalie has been one of the best in the nation since her sister joined the team.
After taking an early lead over St. Joesph’s in 2023, Maryland women’s lacrosse midfielder Maddy Sterling took the field for the first time in her collegiate career as the No. 2 recruit in the 2021 class. Her sister, starting goalkeeper Emily Sterling, was overcome with joy to play alongside her for the school they fell in love with. They embraced one another after their first sequence on defense together.
“It’s like a feeling you can’t really describe,” Emily said.
While Maddy is a rising star on Maryland’s midfield unit as a redshirt sophomore, Emily is wrapping up her career as one of the best goalies in program history. She ranks fourth in career saves (657) and has earned several national and Big Ten accolades. This degree of success was not achievable alone, though. It required strong chemistry, something Emily has plenty of with her defenders and sister.
The Sterling sisters grew up in Bel-Air, Maryland and played a variety of sports together. The two ultimately fell in love with lacrosse.
When Emily’s recruitment began in 2015, she quickly clicked with Maryland’s family-oriented culture that made it feel like home.
As Emily began her career at Maryland, Maddy was a highly-touted recruit, fielding offers from several top-ranked programs. But Maddy was drawn to Maryland, knowing she’d have the opportunity to play with her sister again.
“I started playing with my sister [when] I was three years old, so it’s something I’m used to,” Maddy said. “It’s a little bit different here, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
When Maddy did eventually commit, Emily was overjoyed.
“When she told me she wanted to come to Maryland I was so excited, I was over the moon,” Emily said. “Just having the opportunity to be able to play with her and have an experience that many sisters do.”
After her freshman season was canceled due to COVID-19, Emily won the starting job as a sophomore. She struggled, though, allowing more than 12 goals per game. Following the disappointing campaign, Emily worked with former Tewaaraton Award winner Megan Taylor, as well as her goalie coach at home, to help her reset and adjust to the tougher collegiate competition.
“She’s someone who works hard at what she does outside of practice,” Maryland head coach Cathy Reese said. “In addition to what we do, she’s putting in the time and effort on her own as well.”
Since her sophomore season, Emily has been one of the premier goalies in the nation. In 2022, she recorded a 53.1% save percentage, which ranked second best in the nation, and earned the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association’s National Goalkeeper of the Year Award. In 2023, she was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year for the second consecutive year.
“My defense was performing at such a high level that I just needed to be good at all the things I’m good at while having their backs,” Emily said.
Meanwhile, Maddy received limited playing time in her first two years, redshirting as a freshman and appearing in just eight games in 2023. But as she’s developed and strengthened the bond with her sister and the team, she’s transformed into an essential part of the defensive unit.
“They’re good for each other because they can encourage each other, they can bounce ideas off each other and they always know what the other one is thinking,” Reese said.
Reese thinks the sisters’ bond shines during challenging times, as they communicate information a coach would not understand from afar. Their relationship has significantly aided their in-game challenges, Reese added, which has never been more apparent.
Maddy has played in every game this season at midfield and scored her first collegiate goal in the season opener.
Meanwhile, Emily ranks fifth in the nation in save percentage (52.6%) and has been a crucial part of the Terps’ defense, which ranks 13th in the country in goals allowed per game (8.82).
“When your sister is out there protecting you, having your back as well, there’s a certain level of trust,” Emily said. “It’s kinda a silent trust between Maddy and I … it’s really fun, really encouraging and awesome as a goalie.”