Seven different players registered goals for the Gators.
Maryland women’s lacrosse had some struggles late in the season, losing to Penn State and Rutgers. But one would have thought these struggles had subsided after commanding wins over Robert Morris and James Madison in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, those struggles reared their ugly head early and often in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
On Thursday, Florida become the first unseeded team to make the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament since 2017, disassembling the Terps from the get-go. Potting nine goals in the opening frame, the Gators strolled to a 15-9 victory.
Florida rattled off three quick scores in the first five minutes of play. Its ball and player movement was seamless, and the nation’s No. 1 offense proved its worth.
Danielle Pavinelli quickly potted two scores on her first two shots, highlighting the Gators’ nation-high 55% shooting percentage.
Surprisingly, the Terps had early issues on the draw control. Shaylan Ahearn, one of the program’s all-time best in the center circle, won just two of the first seven draws in the opening quarter.
Meanwhile, Florida’s offense wasn’t one dimensional. It was far from it. It forced Maryland into second and third slides, dismantling the typically strong defensive core.
Furthermore, the Terps’ pace simply did not match up with the Gators’. Even isolation matchups favored Florida, as Maryland’s help defense was sluggish and failed to rotate.
In the first 15 minutes of play, Florida netted nine goals on its first 11 shots. Emily Sterling, the usually reliable All-American goalkeeper, had little help on the back end and made just two saves.
The second frame didn’t fare much better for the already-struggling Terps. Florida, which started out with a rapid pace, made a conscious effort to slow the game down. This plan was also assisted by multiple woman-up opportunities, in which the Gators simply held the ball for the duration.
Of the Terps’ six shots in the second quarter, just one beat Florida goalkeeper Elyse Finnelle and found the back of the net. In fact, Finnelle was stellar for the entirety of the opening 30 minutes, registering seven saves with a .778 save percentage.
In the first half, six different Gators added to the scoring column, including a hat trick by Maggi Hall. Hall was just one of two players in the nation to tally more than 50 goals and 50 assists in the 2024 regular season. She finished with six goals.
Down 10-2 at the half, Maryland needed a quick response to open the third. Initially, it had one — as midfielder Maggie Weisman and attacker Eloise Clevenger scored in the first four minutes of the second half.
The Terps also rectified some of their inconsistencies on the defensive end, constantly pressuring the ball with speedy defenders like Kennedy Major. Four Florida turnovers in the first five minutes led directly to an increase of pressure on the offensive end for Maryland. It cut the Gators’ lead down to just six halfway through the frame.
However, that’s about all the Terps could do in the third frame, as the latter portion of the period was riddled with unsuccessful offense. Despite outshooting the Gators 14-5 in the third frame, Maryland outscored them just 4-3.
The Terps had the chance to make a splash in the scoring column to begin the fourth quarter after a yellow card was issued to Pavinelli. However, it was Florida that scored a woman down, taking the energy out the Field Hockey & Women’s Lacrosse Complex in College Park.
For the rest of the contest, Maryland failed to cut Florida’s lead down to less than six goals.
The Terps did not lead at any point in the game.
Three things to know
1. High shots, low shooting percentage. Maryland finished with 36 shots, but just 19 were on goal and only nine hit the back of the net.
2. Few free positions. The Terps didn’t seek out much contact around the goalmouth Thursday, emphasized by their lack of free position opportunities. Maryland went 1-for-2 on such chances.
3. End of the road. This is the first time Maryland has lost an NCAA quarterfinal matchup since 2008, when they fell to Duke, 9-7. It has failed to make the Final Four for the second straight year.