Senior midfielder Shaylan Ahearn could also be identified for her draw management prowess, however she additionally demonstrated her deft offensive skills in No.2-seed Maryland ladies’s lacrosse’s thrashing of No. 6-seed Rutgers.
With simply 14 seconds remaining within the first half and Maryland main 9-1, Ahearn received the draw management outright. From there, she weaved her method by means of the Scarlet Knight protection and capped off the Terps’ finest half the season with a rating. Maryland carried that momentum into the second half and ran away with a 15-9 victory within the semifinals of the Massive Ten Match on Thursday.
“I feel that the objective going into halftime was an excellent sort of momentum,” Ahearn mentioned. “It was only a results of everybody sort of working collectively and being on the identical web page.”
After Maryland received the opening draw management, freshman midfielder Kori Edmondson instantly labored the ball into the offensive finish and was fouled contained in the 12-meter fan.
The Terps stored their composure. Working the ball across the perimeter simply as soon as, the ball discovered senior attacker Hannah Leubecker on the prime of the fan. After receiving the go, she made a swift dodge into the intestine of the protection and scored the sport’s first objective.
On the following possession, Rutgers senior midfielder Cassidy Spilis earned herself a free place shot, however was unsuccessful.
The save transitioned into offense for the Terps, with junior midfielder Shannon Smith planting herself instantly in entrance of Rutgers goalkeeper Sophia Cardello. The feed by junior attacker Chrissy Thomas helped facilitate the rating.
The sport’s tempo slowed only a bit after the objective, as a turnover and a few fouls ensued. As well as, Maryland dedicated a shot-clock violation. Nevertheless, the Terps’ ball motion remained fast. The Rutgers protection was just too sluggish on its switches and defensive assignments, leading to open shooters. Smith scored her second, and Might netted her first midway by means of the opening quarter to place the Terps up 4-0.
Maryland by no means let up, and its relentless stress resulted in yet one more rating. This time, junior midfielder Eloise Clevenger was the beneficiary of yet one more Thomas dime. It was her fourth help in simply the primary 10 minutes of play.
The primary body ended with the Terps firmly in management, holding a 6-0 lead.
Maryland continued its dominant run within the second body, with Clevenger capitalizing proper off the bat. It was simply her third hat trick of the marketing campaign.
Again-to-back saves from Cardello allowed the Scarlet Knights extra alternatives on offense, however the Terps’ staunch protection stayed locked in. Even a point-blank free place probability failed to provide a rating.
Maryland’s onslaught continued. Fast ball motion from Thomas to Clevenger resulted in one other rating. The one-two punch, working from behind the cage, confused the Scarlet Knight defenders. Clevenger has been the distributor for almost all of the season, however tailored properly to a scoring position on Thursday.
Rutgers lastly cashed in on the 3:36 mark of the second quarter, when graduate attacker Marin Hartshorn beat Sterling for the rating, however two late scores by Might and Ahearn put Maryland up 10-1 on the half.
The third quarter started with a draw management win by Rutgers and was paired with a fast rating. Hartshorn made a definite lower to the entrance of the web and put in a straightforward objective.
The Terps maintained their first-half depth, incomes a free place shot throughout the first three minutes of play. Nevertheless, the try was unsuccessful and Maryland ended up committing one other shot-clock violation.
After consecutive turnovers, the Scarlet Knights capitalized as soon as extra on offense, chopping the Terrapin result in seven.
Maryland’s third quarter strategy revolved round taking ample day without work the clock. In some instances, it backfired. Nevertheless, Thomas ended the near-half-quarter of scoreless lacrosse for the Terps, swinging across the left aspect of the cage for a top-shelf rating.
Speedster junior attacker Kate Websites capped off the quarter with a implausible rating, and Maryland led Rutgers 12-4 after three quarters.
Lower than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Ahearn netted her second objective of the evening. Shortly after, Rutgers scored the primary free place objective of the evening, chopping Maryland’s result in eight.
Some fouls and lengthy possessions later, Edmondson netted Maryland’s first free place objective of the sport. Rutgers gave its finest effort to remain within the contest, however the lead that Maryland carved out within the first half proved to be insurmountable.
The Terps will face No. 1-seed Northwestern on Saturday at 8 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio for the Massive Ten Match championship.
“We’re so excited to be taking part in on Saturday,” Thomas mentioned. “We’re prepared for an additional problem.”
Three issues to know
1. Maryland had one among its finest halves of the season. Maryland performed a flawless opening half. It dominated Rutgers in nearly each main statistical class. The pictures have been 20-9 in favor of the Terps they usually received 9 draw controls, opposed to simply 4 for the Scarlet Knights.
What was most salient in regards to the first half was the tempo of play — which Maryland dictated. The vitality that flowed by means of the squad was palpable, and it is going to be vital for it to keep up this stage of confidence on Saturday.
“I assumed our first half was most likely our greatest half we performed this season,” head coach Cathy Reese mentioned. “We got here out on hearth, we got here out centered and we got here out pushed.”
2. A record-setting evening. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet on offense Thursday for the Terps. The tandem of Thomas and Clevenger shined, and each produced staggering outcomes. Thomas recorded a career-high six assists, whereas Clevenger marked a season-high 4 objectives.
“They’ve been getting higher all season and simply studying how one another function, studying methods to assault and methods to be harmful,” Reese mentioned. “It’s superior to see and we’ve watched them proceed to get higher each sport.”
Moreover, Ahearn recorded an astonishing 10 draw controls on the evening. Her excellence on the circle resulted in vital possessions for the Terrapins. She additionally contributed two scores.
3. The protection shined. The collective effort of the protection was admirable Thursday. It allowed simply 23 complete pictures by the Scarlet Knights, and likewise pressured the Rutgers offense into committing a hefty 13 turnovers, with eight coming within the second half. Spilis, the crew’s main scorer, was held simply to at least one rating on the night.
“I assumed the protection performed nice collectively,” Reese mentioned. “I don’t like the 2 man-up objectives we gave up on the finish … we did an excellent job of attempting to restrict [Hartshorn and Spilis].”
