Maryland
Maryland women’s lacrosse is flexible in its free position strategy
Maryland midfielder Maisy Clevenger picked up the ball and stood eight meters away from the goal. She was positioned just to the right of the goalie, the only opposing player standing between her and the net. Clevenger crouched down — placing her stick on her shoulder — and waited for the referee’s whistle.
Instead of shooting, she passed across the shooting arc to an open Hannah Leubecker. Clevenger’s teammate caught the feed and fired a shot that rippled the net during the first quarter in Maryland women’s lacrosse’s win at Denver.
The score, which started directly from a free position opportunity, didn’t register as a successful free position shot because Clevenger opted to pass. The Terps still capitalized.
The Terps’ free position scoring rate is low. Maryland converted six of its free position attempts this season for a 26 percent success rate, tied for third-worst in the country.
It’s an aspect of the Terps’ attack that coach Cathy Reese believes needs improvement, but her team’s low success rate from eight meters ignores the fact that the Terps’ game plan isn’t based solely around shooting from free position opportunities.
“We try not to pre-plan, so we try to read what the defense is giving us,” attacker Victoria Hensh said. “Where they line up on the eight meter is usually dependent on if we’re going to pass it, [or] whether you’re going to veer a certain way.”
[No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse breezes past William & Mary, 20-5]
An attacking team is awarded a free position shot when a foul occurs inside the eight meter arc. The attacking player lines up eight meters away from the goal with a free path to the cage, as all defensive players must be outside the shooting space.
“You line up, and if you can get in the right mindset and mind frame that you can knock it down and execute it, but if you’re questioning yourself for a second that ball is hitting off the rim,” Reese said, comparing free position shots to free throws in basketball.
Players used to consistently just line up and shoot the ball, according to Reese, who played as an attacker from 1994 to 1998 at Maryland. Boston College’s Charlotte North brought a similar approach to the current generation, hitting more than 60 percent of her free position shots in 2021 and 2022 by peppering the goalie.
No current Maryland player can quite replicate the dominance North displayed in her college career. Attacker Libby May was more than 50 percent effective in 2022 and 2023, but hasn’t tallied from a free goal yet this year.
Many Terps are also opting to pass from eight meters instead of shoot, depending on the situation.
[A week after collapsing, Maryland women’s lacrosse’s defense held strong against Denver]
The position across the shooting arc can dictate a shot or a pass. The attacker will begin on one of six hash marks, decided by the referee based on proximity to the foul or the severity of the infraction. A player starting at the top of the line will be more enticed to shoot, compared to someone who is forced to the outer marks.
“I think it is player preference … know what we’re good at and what our strengths are,” Hensh said.
An opposing defense’s alignment will also provide a choice for Terp attackers. Maryland isn’t afraid to opt for a pass if someone is unmarked — Denver left Leubecker open on Saturday, and she scored off Clevenger’s pass.
At other times, the ball might be passed out of the close-range situation to kill time late in contests or if the Terps prefer to run their player-up offense.
“Sometimes it’s where the D sets up. Sometimes it’s who they leave open. Sometimes it’s a shooter, we have some people that really love to shoot free positions,” Reese said. “I think everything regarding the eight meter in women’s lacrosse is very situational.”
Maryland is one of the worst teams in the country in free position shooting by the numbers, but the Terps have found different ways to capitalize on the opportunities and find goals. Leubecker’s finish was one that stemmed from Maryland’s variety of free position approaches.
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
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Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
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