No. 7 Maryland women’s lacrosse (1-0) had a successful start to its season with a win over No. 14 Syracuse. 

Junior attacker Laurent Lapointe scored five of the nine goals of that game. 

Maryland’s next task is at home against No. 12 Virginia (0-2) on Saturday. The Terps and Cavaliers will play in SECU Stadium instead of the usual Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.

No. 12 Virginia

Maryland has performed extremely well against Virginia throughout its history. The Terps hold a 22-7 all-time record against their former ACC rival. 

In their matchup last season, though, the Terps fell short and lost 13-9 on a neutral site in Baltimore. Lapointe was a standout with a hat trick, but Virginia gained a lead that held after halftime.

But Virginia has struggled to start 2026, losing its past two games by small margins and has scored 10-plus goals in both contests.

Freshman midfielder Cady Flaherty has scored two goals in her collegiate debut against Navy and scored another goal in Virginia’s most recent contest with Richmond. She was notably mentioned in the Nike Lacrosse top 100.

Junior midfielder Kate Galicia also scored two goals against Navy. She has earned multiple accolades, particularly last year when she was named 2025 ACC Midfielder of the Year. 

Junior attacker Madison Alaimo has been dominating in assists. She has recorded seven during the first two matchups and is already far ahead of her teammates and Maryland’s players in assists.

In goal, Virginia has tried out two different players, usually swapping at halftime.

Senior Mel Josephson, Virginia’s starting goalie from last season, currently has an average save percentage of 37.5%. She has nine saves in 60 total minutes compared to 12 goals allowed.

Graduate Elyse Finnelle spent the other 60 minutes in goal. She won the 2025 Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year last season while with Florida. Her average save percentage from her past seasons is 50.7%, which is slightly above average for women’s lacrosse. In her two appearances this season, she hasn’t matched that production with only four saves and nine goals allowed.

Maryland’s outlook

Lauren Lapointe will be a key attacker once again. She scored five goals in the season opener against Syracuse and recorded a hat trick last season against the Cavaliers. 

Two key players who could really make a difference are Kori Edmonson and JJ Suriano.

Edmonson has been Maryland’s top player since starting as a freshman. She earned multiple honors last season and has already been helpful with an assist on freshman Ava Meyn’s first goal, but the Terps expect her to be much more active in goal scoring after leading the team last season. 

Suriano played one of her best career games against Syracuse and proved she belongs as the starter.  She reached 16 saves compared to just five goals — with two coming with under two minutes left and the game already out of reach.