Draw controls are often overlooked on the statsheet, standing in an awkward middle ground between scoring and defending. But for Kayla Gilmore and No. 1 Maryland women’s lacrosse, the draw circle is a second home.
Gilmore, a sophomore midfielder originally from Mastic, New York, is the newest addition to a long line of successful draw specialists for the Terps. She has been Maryland’s first player to touch the ball in every game of the last two years — and her experience in the draw circle goes back
as early as third grade.
“I definitely started picking it up more and more and becoming more of the primary draw person on the midfield line that I was on,” Gilmore said.
Gilmore continued specializing in draw controls throughout her youth and high school career, earning Inside Lacrosse’s No. 7 ranking in the class of 2024. This eventually caught the attention of Maryland head coach Cathy Reese.
Reese has coached nearly all of Maryland’s best draw takers. She has coached every player on the program’s top 10 all-time draw control leaders during her two-decade tenure, and knows circle talent when she sees it.
“She’s phenomenal, she studies the draw so much,” Reese said. “She takes so much pride in all of it and wants to be the best she can at it.”
That film study is a large part of Gilmore’s success. She meticulously reviews hours of tape each week, looking for areas of improvement while identifying exploitable tendencies in her upcoming opponents.
“I definitely watch a lot of film on the other draw takers, just trying to learn their tendencies and what they want to do,” Gilmore said.
A big part of preparation as a draw-taker comes from extra work in practice. Gilmore misses out on several offensive drills in practice, instead focusing on faceoff-specific exercises to perfect her process.
“A lot of our attackers, they do wall balls. So while they’re doing wall ball, I’ll be doing hand-eye coordination stuff, or I’ll do tracking the ball, just little things that help me get in tune for the draw aspect,” she said.
Stepping into the circle, most draw specialists appear to be alone on an island. But Maryland’s draw unit has been one of the country’s strongest all year, mostly due to its innate ability to communicate.
The Terps are the only team in the Big Ten with three players ranking top 15 in draw controls. Gilmore says that prior to the draw, she and the other players in the unit — Kori Edmondson and Lexi Dupcak — share a particular message between themselves.
“This year, our biggest thing has just been ‘fight,’” Gilmore said. “Not every game you’re going to have 10 self-draws. Some games are gonna be a battle. The other draw girl could be very good, so we need to have a strategic plan to help ourselves be in the best position to win the draw.”
When setting up to take the draw, the gears begin turning in Gilmore’s brain. Having entered the circle as many as 32 times in a game this season, staying locked in has been a big focus for her.
As she gets face-to-face with her opponent, Gilmore’s eyes first go to the feet. The way a player positions their feet can be a huge tell for what they will do when the whistle blows.
“When a girl has their left foot forward, they’re going to try and pop it over their shoulder a little bit more,” Gilmore said. “When they’re right foot forward, they’re more so a push drawer.”
After getting her read, the official places the ball between the two players’ sticks. However, small variations in the position of the ball can have drastic impacts on the outcome of the draw.
Gilmore is prepared for this, storing every favorable draw strategy in the back of her mind, and using hand speed and wrist strength to gain crucial advantages over her counterpart.
“[When the ball isn’t placed perfectly], the biggest thing is just trying to make it a 50/50 ball,” Gilmore said. “If you can’t win it yourself, try and put your teammates and yourself in the best position to come up with the ground ball.”
The Terps post a .607 draw control win percentage, placing them 13th nationally as of Monday. Sitting at 13-0 on the season, their offense has consistently been a primary talking point. However, there can’t be a goal without possession, and Reese is more than happy with her draw unit’s success thus far.
“We’re not able to score as many as we are if we’re not having these extra possessions,” Reese said. “Kayla’s done a great job in the draw. She studies it. She works on it every day. She’s very passionate about it. I think she’s one of the best in the country, and I’m glad she takes it for my team.”
