No. 3-seed Maryland women’s lacrosse looked lost in the draw circle Thursday, dropping 12 straight faceoffs across nearly 30 minutes. Lead drawtaker Kayla Gilmore was removed from the circle in favor of freshman Leah Miller.
But as Miller couldn’t turn it around in the circle, Gilmore returned and stepped up. With the game tied at 10, the sophomore cut into the arc, receiving a pass before jamming the ball in the back of the net.
Despite glaring struggles in the draw circle and a crushing loss on defense,
Maryland found itself late. Six different Terps netted multiple goals Thursday, securing their first NCAA tournament semifinal bid in four years with a 14-10 win over No. 6-seed Navy.
After a Midshipmen goal in the seventh minute, Maryland’s offense fired back. Kori Edmondson opened the Terps’ scoring, winding around the crease before unloading a sidearm shot into the back of the net. That score marked her 218th career point — pushing her past head coach Cathy Reese on the Maryland all-time points leaderboard.
A pair of transfers fed off of Edmondson’s energy, extending the lead to two before the close of the first quarter. Kristen Shanahan scored a close-range blast with four minutes left in the opening frame, and Keeley Block netted a right-elbow snipe less than two minutes later.
Maryland’s run continued into the second quarter, netting three goals in the frame’s five opening minutes, largely driven by its offense’s sharpshooting ability. The Terps put all of their first seven shots and 63% of their total shots on frame.
Navy’s saving grace came in the form of attacker Alyssa Chung. Maryland has previously been efficient at limiting high-volume scorers, but the Tewaaraton Award finalist was too much for its backline. Chung netted each of the Midshipmen’s opening four goals, finishing with seven points in Thursday’s contest despite being marked by star defender Maddy Sterling.
Chung’s performance drove Navy’s offense, which scored five second-quarter goals to shrink the deficit to one heading into the half.
But while Navy needed to force scores, the Terps used their opponents’ physicality to their advantage. Three of Maryland’s four second quarter scores came on player-up opportunities. It finished the day with six total goals from player-up situations or free positions.
Lauren LaPointe scored an eight-meter of her own with just over three minutes left in the half, unloading from distance to give the Terps their seventh goal of the game. LaPointe finished with a hat trick that put her season goal total at 64 — the highest single-player mark for a Terp since Aurora Cordingly in 2022.
LaPointe’s repositioning to the left elbow allowed Jordyn Lipkin to take over the Terps’ quarterback role in the X. The graduate student drilled her second goal of the game on an acrobatic leaping play 91 seconds into the second half.
But after Lipkin’s goal, Maryland’s lead evaporated. Three straight Navy draw controls gave it the possessions it needed to break through the Terp defense and score a trio of goals in under three minutes.
Kennedy Major was forced to exit the game and was helped to the locker room following a lower-body injury suffered behind the net. Block took advantage and scored on the ensuing player-up opportunity, but goals on each side kept the game knotted at the start of the final frame.
After being outshot 28-19 over the first 45 minutes, Maryland’s sticks finally came alive. The Terps launched six shots in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, including a wide-open look from Kayla Gilmore that returned the lead to the hosts.
The Terps then rallied, jumping out to a three-goal lead. It never relinquished that advantage.
Three things to know
1. The student becomes the teacher. Reese faced off against her former head coach in Cindy Timchal Thursday night, who led Maryland to eight national titles during her time in College Park.
2. Trouble in the circle. The Terps’ draw unit was far below average against Navy, only winning 34.6% of their faceoff opportunities. Although Maryland won each of the final five draw chances, its 0-for-12 stretch played a pivotal role in the closeness of the quarterfinal bout.
3. Moving on. The win over the Midshipmen marks Maryland return to the semifinals for the first time since 2022. The Terps now move on to face the winner of No. 2-seed North Carolina and Stanford in Evanston, Illinois.
