Three different Terps notched a hat trick.
No. 7 Maryland women’s lacrosse failed to capitalize on its four-goal comeback against No. 14 Penn, falling on a last-second winner. After digging themselves in a 12-9 deficit to Arizona State, the Terps had a second chance to record their first road win since March 13.
This time around, Maryland didn’t leave it up to the final possession of the game.
Midway through the third quarter, Kate Sites swung the ball to Maisy Clevenger, who was patiently waiting behind the goal. Clevenger caught the pass and instantly looked for a cutter. After her pass was batted down, she scooped up the loose ball, charged around the net, got a step past her defender and rifled the shot past goalie Katie Vahle.
The floodgates opened.
Nine unanswered goals flipped a three-goal deficit into a lead Maryland wouldn’t relinquish. In an offensive affair, the Terps landed the knockout punch, winning, 18-14, Thursday afternoon in Tempe, Arizona.
It was Arizona State its first home defeat of the season.
Fresh off one of her best performances of the season with two goals and three assists, Clevenger made her presence felt early. The sophomore — who has tallied the third-most goals on the team — scored two of Maryland’s first three goals. Clevenger finished with a hat trick, including the momentum-shifting goal to fuel the Terps’ comeback.
However, freshman Devin Livingston stole the headlines in the opening quarter. With 10 minutes left in the period and the game tied at one, Livingston sprinted past her defender and found a glimpse of daylight. The rookie took advantage of the space, showcasing her flashy skills with a nifty behind-the back shot, her first of three goals.
While the Terps’ offense was clicking, JJ Suriano continued to struggle in goal. After getting pulled early in the fourth quarter against Penn, Suriano made just seven saves facing Arizona State’s 14th-best offense in the country.
Attacker Teagan Ng was the catalyst behind the Sun Devils’ success. The team-leader with 43 goals demonstrated her offensive explosiveness all game long. Every time Arizona State faced a two-goal deficit, Ng rose to the occasion. She recorded a game-high five goals.
Behind Ng’s first-half hat trick, the Sun Devils took a narrow 9-8 lead heading into the break.
While Arizona State’s lead ballooned to three immediately out of the locker room, Maryland wouldn’t go away.
Kori Edmondson — the four-time Big Ten Midfielder of the Week — took charge. The junior received the ball at the top of the circle, juked out her defender with a spin-move and embraced the contact while launching the shot into the bottom corner. Edmondson recorded a team-high four goals.
Sun Devils attacker Lydia Oldknow had the answer right back. After forcing a turnover, Ng corralled the loose ball and immediately swung it to Oldknow, who converted the easy look. The duo of Ng and Oldknow fueled Arizona State’s offense, accounting for nine of its 14 goals.
However, Oldknow’s third goal of the game would be the last one the Sun Devils scored in over 22 minutes of play.
Despite subbing in goalie Lydia Ward midway through the second quarter, head coach Cathy Reese turned back to Suriano after Oldknow’s goal. And the sophomore showed significant improvement, conceding just two goals in her final 23 minutes of action, all of which came with the game out of reach.
On the other side, Vahle struggled to slow down the Terps’ second-half offensive onslaught. She tallied just six saves in the game, her lowest output in four games.
Three things to know
1. Free-position gifts. Maryland has been foul prone as of late, and Arizona State made it pay. The Terps committed 33 fouls, amounting to 13 free-position shots and six goals. However, Maryland allowed just three free-position looks in the latter half.
2. Draw control unit outmatched. For the first time all season, the Terps were dominated in the faceoff circle. After Maryland won three of the first four draw controls, Sun Devils’ midfielder Anna Viglione controlled the circle. The sophomore gathered 10 draw controls to help Arizona State win 20 of the 33 faceoffs.
3. Tough slate ahead. Thursday’s contest was one of the Terps’ last remaining unranked opponents before the schedule gets tough. Maryland faces three consecutive ranked foes — No. 19 USC, No. 10 Virginia and No. 25 Ohio State. The Terps’ lone unranked game ahead comes against Rutgers.