NCAA Tournament second round preview: Maryland women’s lacrosse vs. James Madison

After handling Robert Morris, 17-1, Maryland women’s lacrosse will face a familiar foe in James Madison.

The Terps bowed out of the NCAA Tournament at the hands of the Dukes last year, losing 15-14 after blowing a four-goal lead late. While the Terps avenged the loss with a regular season victory, they meet again with the stakes heightened.

James Madison is one of the few teams to win a national championship in the past decade, and is certainly not a team to overlook. It ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation this year and has some firepower at attack, headlined by first-team All-American Isabella Peterson, who holds the program records in all-time points, goals and draws.

The match will kickoff on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at the Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. It will be streamed on ESPN Plus.

If Maryland wins, it will host the winner of Virginia and Florida on Thursday.

What happened last time

Holding the No. 9 ranking and on a three-game winning streak, Maryland welcomed then-No. 2 James Madison to College Park on March 10 in its biggest challenge yet.

Maryland passed the midweek test with flying colors, as its defense anchored an 11-8 victory.

Five different Dukes found the net in the first two quarters, as they held a 5-2 advantage midway through the second quarter. But Maryland outscored them, 8-3, in the final 38 minutes of play, highlighted by a four-goal performance from attacker Libby May, along with a pair of goals from attackers Eloise Clevenger and Hannah Leubecker.

The most notable performance, though, was Maryland goalkeeper Emily Sterling’s 14-save outing.

What’s happened since

Both teams saw their seasons undergo a similar trajectory after their matchup in College Park.

Maryland went on to win its next four games, which earned it the No. 1 ranking in the country, before it was dethroned by Penn at the end of March. Since then, the Terps have lost three of their last seven games, including a defeat at the hands of an unranked Rutgers team.

After losing to Maryland, James Madison lost the remainder of its ranked games, including a 10-goal loss in the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship against Florida. But in a back-and-forth affair, the Dukes fended off Penn State, 14-13, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Maddie Epke totaled five goals and Peterson and midfielder Taylor Marchetti each posted hat tricks.

Three things to watch

1. Emily Sterling’s status. Sterling shut down the Dukes with 14 saves in March, leading the Terps to victory at “The Plex.” But her status is in question after exiting the Rutgers game and missing Friday’s contest.

2. A battle at the draw circle. James Madison ranks 12th in the country in draws, but was outmatched, 14-9, in its last match. A battle between two All-Americans in Peterson and Maryland’s Shaylan Ahearn will be entertaining to watch.

3. Elite offense and elite defense. Both James Madison and Maryland rank top-15 in scoring offense and defense, culminating in a key matchup that will determine whose season ends. Maryland’s defense prevailed the last time around, but with recent struggles on Maryland’s offense and the Dukes showing out against Penn State, this matchup could cause some serious problems for the Terps if they don’t turn things around.