By Tyler Lochte
When Erin Garvey scored a minute into the fourth quarter , all the momentum was in Michigan’s favor, as a furious 4-1 run set the Wolverines down one.
Michigan from then on lost its magic.
Garvey’s goal would be the last time they would find the back of the net.
No. 10 Maryland women’s lacrosse’s dominance in the fourth quarter pushed the Terps over the hump for good, as they dashed past Michigan, 13-7.
Maryland’s victory marked the seventh in a row for the squad that uncharacteristically struggled at the start of the season.
The game was streaky from the start, as the teams took turns scoring in pairs for the first 6 goals of the game. A goal from Jill Smith put Michigan a goal away from continuing this trend. But Eloise Clevenger struck with just 11 seconds left in the half to give Maryland a 5-3 lead going into the break.
At halftime, Maryland paid tribute to the great teams of the past, as former players took the field to celebrate 50 years of Maryland women’s lacrosse.
“Having all of our alums and their families on campus to celebrate 50 years of Maryland women’s lacrosse was really special,” said head coach Cathy Reese.
The players continued this honor with 2 more goals in the first 5 minutes of the third quarter. Shaylan Ahearn assisted both, part of a four-point performance, along with great work on draws, a stat that Maryland dominated throughout.
Graduate student Abby Bosco led the team in scooping up draw controls today, handing Maryland a substantial edge in total possession
“That’s one of the little things when you win the draw it starts that offense, so I think Shay has been doing a phenomenal job, our communication’s so good, and there’s so much trust there.”
Maryland’s 7-3 lead would not last long.
Annabelle Burke found the net exactly one minute later to spark a 3-0 Michigan run capped off by a phenomenal play by Jane Fetterolf, who found the net on a free position shot as the shot clock horn sounded.
From there, Libby May took over. With three goals in the game’s final 21 minutes, May erased any hope of a Michigan win. May scored on all 5 shots she took today, and Michigan took notice. Its focus on May allowed others such as Hensh, Thomas, and Smith to find the net.
“When people are making plays out there it doesn’t matter who it is, it just opens up opportunities for everybody else,” said May.
May’s five-goal scorcher pushed her to the 40-goal mark for the season.
The win comes less than 24 hours after the men’s lacrosse team was dealt their first ever loss to Michigan. Reese and the team were well aware of this, and worked hard to make sure history didn’t repeat itself.
“You’ve got to play the game, like you got to play. It doesn’t matter who you are playing. It doesn’t matter where, it doesn’t matter when. You gotta show up and we have to compete.”
After back-to-back one-goal losses to James Madison and Denver, Maryland is on fire taking each of their last 7 games, moving to 10-3. Johns Hopkins and Ohio State are set to come to College Park on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively. After that road trips to Penn State and Northwestern close the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament begins on April 29th
