The Terps scored seven goals in the third quarter.
No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse trailed Denver 6-5 heading into the break after once holding a three-goal advantage. In an effort to swing the momentum back in its favor, head coach Cathy Reese moved Hailey Russo to the faceoff circle — her first appearance of the season.
Russo won the first draw of the second half and the Terps took full advantage. On Maryland’s opening possession of the quarter, Maisy Clevenger spotted Jordyn Lipkin flashing in the middle of the field. Lipkin fired the ball over her shoulder and past Denver goalie Emelia Bohi.
Nearly a minute later, Kate Sites took her defender 1-on-1, embraced contact and found the bottom corner of the net to give the Terps their lead back — one they didn’t relinquish.
An 8-1 domination on draw controls in the third quarter led to seven goals in the period and propelled Maryland to a 14-10 win over Denver Saturday afternoon in College Park.
“We’re in game four of our season, and we’re learning with all of these,” Reese said. “We can’t get caught with our backs against the wall or caught back on our heels. This was a great game for us to go in the locker room and halftime down and find a way to fight back.”
The Terps (3-1) have been prone to slow starts this season, recording just six first-quarter goals in their opening three games. That wasn’t the case against Denver (3-3). Just 40 seconds into the game, Kori Edmondson found Lipkin unmarked in front of goal, who turned and rifled it into the top corner.
Maryland’s offense was firing on all cylinders out of the gates. It scored five goals on its first eight shots of the game and looked unstoppable. The freshman trio of Shelby Sullivan, Devin Livingston and Kayla Gilmore accounted for three goals in the first period and five in the contest.
With time dwindling in the opening quarter, Lauren Lapointe scooped up the loose ball and sprinted down the field. She pitched it to Chrissy Thomas, who circled the net, beat Denver’s defense with ease and notched her second goal of the season.
Thomas’ solo effort gave Maryland a 5-2 lead after the first quarter and capped off its offensive onslaught.
While the Terps’ offense was clicking, their defense struggled to contain Denver midfielder Caroline Colimore. An All-Big East first-teamer last year, she scored both of its first-quarter goals to keep the game within striking distance.
In the second quarter, the Terps recorded seven fouls, and Denver capitalized on its free position attempts, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 6-5 lead, its first of the game.
“I feel like we’ve kind of struggled with turning that corner when we were down,” Edmondson said. “Being able to come out at halftime and really just turn the page. Our offense scored nine goals in the second half. That’s amazing. Would we love to do that in the second quarter, yes, but we moved on and got better.”
After scoring seven goals in the third quarter and holding a 12-7 advantage, Maryland coasted to the finish line. Despite three straight goals from the Pioneers to open the final period, it clung to the lead and made timely stops when needed.
JJ Suriano struggled in net for the Terps, tallying just five saves on the 15 shots on goal. However, nearly half of the goals she conceded came on free position attempts, something that both goalies failed to stop.
Gilmore, Lipkin, Sullivan and Thomas all finished with two goals to power Maryland’s balanced scoring. Thomas also collected two assists, moving her to 11 on the season.
Three things to know
1. Offensive onslaught. The two teams combined for 24 goals with 12 players finding the back of the net. Edmondson scored a game-high four goals, while also adding two assists. Four Pioneers recorded at least two goals, but its efforts were outdone by one of the Terps’ best attacking games of the season.
2. Faceoff discrepancy. In a game of runs, draw controls proved pivotal in which side held the momentum. The Pioneers won all four draw controls in the second quarter, helping it take the lead. However, subbing Russo into the faceoff circle worked well for Maryland, as she won 10-of-15 draws.
“Haley Russo is [an] experienced, strong person for us, and she’s been out for a little while this year, but we’re really confident [in] what she can do,” Reese said. “She showed it today, to have her back and able to play the way she did.”
3. Homestand conclusion. The Terps started the season with four straight home contests, picking up three wins. However, Maryland will now embark on its first road game, taking on No. 18 James Madison on March 8. The Terps will hope to fare better in this ranked matchup.