After waiting over 10 months, No. 3 Maryland women’s lacrosse finally avenged its double-feature losses to Penn in the 2025 season.
The Terps, driven by offensive momentum and lockdown defense, took a hold of the contest early on Thursday night and never looked back. Maryland rode an eight-point lead at the half to a 15-9 victory over the Quakers.
Five players contributed multiple points in the bout, headlined by former Penn attacker Keeley Block’s four goals and a stellar five-point showing from Tewaaraton
Award nominee Kori Edmondson. Friday’s win was a relief for Edmondson, who had experienced losing to the Quakers three times since 2024.
“We’ve been in a drought to beat Penn for three years. They’re gonna give us our best game, so we went out there and we did what we needed to do,” said Edmondson.
The Terps will still need to make adjustments as they head into the bulk of Big Ten play. The defense allowed 66.7% of Penn’s goals in the second half, as Maryland seemed to play far too relaxed down the stretch. The Terps will face five ranked opponents in their final seven games, each with a high-powered offense that will test their backline for the full 60 minutes.
One of two unranked opponents remaining is USC. The Terps and the Trojans will face off at noon Sunday in College Park. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
USC Trojans (6-5, 0-3 Big Ten)
2025 Record: 10-7, 3-5 Big Ten
USC has had a rough two years in the Big Ten, despite head coach Lindsey Munday’s 13 years of consistency at the helm. Through three conference games, the Trojans are miles off the pace of the rest of their conference, most recently getting boatraced by Johns Hopkins in a 20-5 loss on Thursday.
Last season, Maryland handed USC one of its larger losses in its first year in the Big Ten. The Terps took the 16-8 win in the first meeting between the two teams as three different players netted hat tricks.
The Trojans have lost their last three games, with deficits of at least four goals in each battle.
Players to watch
Kaylee Fravert, sophomore attacker, No. 27 — Fravert has expanded her role greatly this season after scoring 23 goals last season without recording a start. The attacker leads USC on the attack with 16 goals along with seven assists, starting every game so far as she settles into her new leadership role.
Sophie Gangemi, sophomore defender, No. 31 — The defender has been thrust into the spotlight this season, despite only appearing in four games in 2025. Gangemi sits atop the stats sheet in most defensive categories for the Trojans, including 13 caused turnovers and 18 ground balls.
Emma Bunting, junior attacker, No. 28 — After playing most of her career slotted into the midfield, Bunting has excelled in her newfound role as an attacker. The junior touts a team-leading 19 assists and 32 points, combining her past wisdom in her newfound positioning from the elbow.
Strength
Potential. Although underperforming by Big Ten standards, USC has plenty of room to grow and develop its young core. Nearly 60% of the Trojans are underclassmen, including most of their starters on the offensive end. Only time will tell if starting these young contributors will reap future benefits.
Weakness
Goal differential. There are many reasons behind this glaring issue, but USC’s -24 goal differential is the only negative mark in the Big Ten, 45 points worse than the next-worst team. This is due to a wide-range of factors, including sitting at the bottom of the conference table in goals per game (10.7), shots-on-goal percentage (67.5%) and save percentage (31.4%).
Three things to watch
1. Can Edmondson keep it up? Following her best performance of the season on Friday, the senior midfielder will look to build on her momentum as the Terps face tougher opponents down the stretch. Despite a slight lapse in overall production, Edmondson has still posted solid numbers this season with 24 goals, 34 draw controls and 31 total points.
2. Shake-up of starters. Lineup strength has been a large point of emphasis for Maryland, as eight players have scored five or more goals just halfway through the regular season. With their matchup against the Trojans likely being their easiest for the foreseeable future, head coach Cathy Reese could possibly rest key starters due to the quick turnaround after Thursday’s win.
3. Single-digit streak. Despite missing important contributors, Maryland’s defense has been the unsung hero across its last four games. The Terps haven’t allowed more than nine goals in a contest in four games, dating back to their 16-12 win over then-No. 14 Princeton nearly a month ago. Freshman Lyla Ingrilli has been crucial since that win, filling in for Kennedy Major, who has been in and out of a walking boot.
