The Terps held the Buckeyes to a season-low five goals.
No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse endured long scoreless spells in its Big Ten clash with Ohio State Sunday afternoon, amounting for three double-digit-minute scoring droughts. The Terps’ sporadic offense allowed a struggling Buckeyes team — who had lost five straight entering the game — to hang around.
With 5:25 left in the third quarter, Maryland’s lead was trimmed to two goals off Ohio State attacker Kate Tyack’s second goal of the game. The Terps looked at risk of being upset.
Maryland’s veterans rose to the occasion, though. Chrissy Thomas delivered a pass to an unmarked cutting Kate Sites. In one fluid motion, the senior wedged the ball into the back of the net past goalie Jocelyn Torres. Nearly a minute later, Thomas tallied just her 10th goal of the season, extending Maryland’s lead to four.
Heroics from Sites and Thomas on Senior Day was all the Terps needed. In the Terps’ first home contest in over two weeks, Maryland took down a resilient Ohio State squad, 8-5.
“This program is just so special, and I’ve had many great teammates for the past five years,” Thomas said. “It was really cool. … But like we said, we have a long season left.”
Maryland (10-4, 5-1 Big Ten) relied heavily on its upperclassmen late in the game to get across the finish line. But after three unsuccessful possessions to start Sunday’s contest, the freshmen broke the deadlock.
Kayla Gilmore was held scoreless for four consecutive games earlier this season. Since that point, the highly-touted recruit has come to life. Gilmore circled the net, faked out Torres and slid the ball into the bottom corner. She totaled two goals on three shots.
Her freshman counterpart, Shelby Sullivan, made quick work of the Terps’ ensuing possession. Thomas spotted a cutting Sullivan, and she doubled Maryland’s advantage. That would be the last goal the Terps scored in the next 11 minutes, though.
Extended scoring droughts like these allowed Ohio State (8-6, 1-6 Big Ten) to climb back in the game.
“My frustration today was on our shooting percentage,” head coach Cathy Reese said. “I thought we had great shots. Our offense was doing what we needed them to do. Credit to Ohio State’s goalie, she made some great saves. We needed to take an extra second and bury it in the back of the net.”
After Kori Edmondson nestled Maryland’s first free-position chance of the game, the Buckeyes’ defense held it in check. And Ohio State made them pay, scoring two unanswered goals.
The Terps’ defensive gameplan stemmed from limiting the production of Buckeyes’ attacker Brynn Ammerman. The senior has been one of the best distributors in the nation and the catalyst for Ohio State’s offense all season long. But Maryland’s scheme worked to perfection.
Ammerman made her first and only impact of the contest with time winding down in the second period. She knotted the game at three on a tight-angle shot from the wing. Ammerman finished without an assist for the first time this season.
Just three minutes later, the Terps’ offense woke up again. Gilmore caught a pass from fellow freshman Devin Livingston and finished off the look with ease, notching a first-half brace. Maryland wasted no time on its following possession, as Sites brought its lead to 5-3 heading into halftime.
Torres — who holds the eighth-highest save percentage in the country — helped keep her team within striking distance all game long. While the junior was under heavy fire, she answered the challenge on multiple occasions. Torres secured 12 saves on the 20 shots on frame she faced.
Her efforts were diminished by a season-low five goals from the Buckeyes’ offense, though.
The Terps’ defensive unit forced Ohio State into 16 turnovers and allowed it just 16 shots on goal, including six straight empty possessions to start the game.
“The unit as a whole is more important for us than any individual performance,” Reese said. “I thought our defense was really disciplined today. We didn’t really go for any checks, and when we did, they were fouls. We did a good job of taking care of the ball moving up. I liked how we were helping each other out.”
Maryland has a quick turnaround as it prepares for No. 5 Johns Hopkins on Wednesday, a matchup that will most likely determine who finishes second in the Big Ten.
Three things to know
1. Low-scoring affair. JJ Suriano wasn’t called upon much in Sunday’s game, but the sophomore was up to the test. She finished with three saves and conceded just four goals. Head coach Cathy Reese turned to Caroline Smith in the fourth quarter in honor of Senior Day. She made three saves and allowed a goal in her first 15 minutes of action on the season.
2. Goals in bunches. When Maryland scored, it usually came in quick succession. Three goals in four minutes late in the third quarter propelled the Terps to victory. Edmondson, Gilmore and Sites each finished with a brace on just 10 combined shots.
3. The Terps’ faceoff unit continues to impress. Maryland’s faceoff unit has been key to the team’s success all season long. Entering Sunday’s contest, the Terps sat 15th in the nation with a 58% draw control percentage. Between Gilmore and Sullivan, Maryland corralled 12 of the 16 faceoffs.
“I love how hard this unit is,” Reese said. “They’re feisty, they’re aggressive, they’re athletic in there and Kayla is doing a really nice job of communicating and taking control in the center.”