No. 3 Maryland women’s lacrosse attacker Kristen Shanahan has said she’s “blacked out” from adrenaline at times during previous games. But her performance Saturday against James Madison was one she may never forget.
Shanahan scored a career-high six goals to bolster No. 3 Maryland women’s lacrosse on offense as it dominated the Dukes, 13-6.
The opening draw was nullified on a James Madison delay of game penalty, awarding Maryland possession. The Terps secured seven of eight draw controls in the first
frame, giving them the possessions needed to take complete command of the pace.
Lauren LaPointe opened the scoring with an offhand shot for her 20th goal of the season. Two more goals from Kristen Shanahan and Leah Miller, respectively, saw Maryland’s lead jump out to three.
LaPointe’s offensive volume was astronomical in the first quarter — she netted two goals on seven shots.
Ball-control errors were an early issue for the Terps, who had 10 turnovers in the first half. This allowed the Dukes to take brief control and score two goals in two minutes, shrinking Maryland’s lead to one with five minutes remaining in the first frame.
But the floodgates soon opened. Kayla Gilmore continued to excel in the draw circle, as Maryland grabbed 83.3% of draw controls in the half. And the Terps eventually took full advantage of their weapons on offense.
Overwhelming pressure on James Madison’s backline forced routine windows wide open, allowing Kori Edmondson to drive into the fan for a signature long-range snipe. Maryland then scored the next three goals, including a hat trick from LaPointe. The Terps outshot the Dukes 19-9 in the half, though only nine attempts were on frame.
With three minutes left in the half, Aly Yee-Jenkins netted her first goal of the season to stop Maryland’s onslaught. But as the half seemed to come to a close, Shanahan stormed into the arc and blasted a shot past James Madison keeper Abigail Beattie to earn a hat trick and close out the half with a five-goal lead.
Shanahan scored another banger two minutes into the second half — this time from beyond the fan — and Beattie slammed her stick down in frustration. The graduate student scored again with five minutes left in the quarter — following scores from James Madison’s Jordan Peterson and Maisy Clevenger — for her third free position and fifth goal of the afternoon.
JJ Suriano was fairly unchallenged in goal but made the most of her opportunities with a .625 save percentage.
Gilmore continued her draw circle masterclass, as the Terps’ 81% win rate in the circle was by far their best mark of the season.
Gilmore snagged her seventh draw control following a goal from Edmondson two minutes into the final quarter. It led to a free position opportunity for Shanahan, who found the net again for her career-high sixth goal of the game.
Maryland was much better at handling Kennedy Major’s absence today than it was against St. Joseph’s. This was largely in part to Lyla Ingrilli, who took Major’s place in the starting lineup and was a brick wall on the right wing.
After a goal from Chloe Bleckley four minutes into the final quarter, all scoring came to a halt, as the Terps handily maintained their undefeated streak.
Three things to know
1. Watchlist for a reason. Shanahan was added to the Tewaaraton Award watchlist on Thursday as a late addition before finalists are announced. On Saturday, she showed why she belonged on the list.
2. Gilmore’s banner day. A big reason behind the lopsided score was due to Maryland’s complete command over every possession. Gilmore’s seven draw controls led the Terps as they were able to grab offensive opportunities early and finish them at a high rate.
“She’s prepared. She’s ready. She’s excellent on the draw. She studies it. And so when she can kind of get into a rhythm, those possessions are huge for us.” Reese said
3. The backline re-groups. After multiple performances not up to their standards, the Terps were nearly perfect on defense today. Suriano made 10 saves while the rest of the backline only allowed 24 total shots, 15 of which were on goal.
It really comes down to everyone stepping up. I think our whole defensive unit, whether you’re a starter or whether you’re second string, third string, everyone on our defensive end gels so well together…” Suriano said. “We play as a unit, and the more that we play as a unit, the more saves I’m able to make.”
