Maryland cruises to 17-1 NCAA Tournament win over Robert Morris

Photo courtesy of Brieanna Andrews/Maryland Terrapins

Hailey Russo received the ball close to the net late in the third quarter and flipped her shot behind her back to fool the keeper and extend Maryland’s lead to 14. Her goal showcased the free-flowing style of offense the Terps used to steamroll the Colonials. 

No. 4 Maryland women’s lacrosse defeated Robert Morris (8-12, 5-2) 17-1, to earn its largest NCAA tournament victory since 2009.

The Terps (13-5, 4-2 Big Ten) gained their 80th NCAA tournament win in their 39th appearance in the Big Dance.

“I think our offense fed off of our defense,” coach Cathy Reese said. “Our defense fed off of our offense, they were finishing the play, Shay [Ahearn] was dominating the draw in the midfield, and everyone really stepped up and made it feel like it was really combined and one successful unit.”

Maryland’s explosive offensive unit applied pressure to the Robert Morris defense early. Eloise Clevenger opened up the scoring by wrapping around the net and sneaking her shot past the keeper. 

The Terps enjoyed the majority of possessions early as they won the first six draws of the match and attempted 25 first-half shots compared to eight Colonials’ attempts.

Maryland has been inconsistent from free positions this season with a .384 percentage. But the Terps took advantage from the eight-meter mark. Kori Edmondson and Hannah Leubecker both netted scores from the spot as the offense continued to roll. 

Edmondson added a second goal in a man-up situation to give Maryland a 5-0 lead after one quarter. 

“We were able to feed off of the defense’s energy and Julia [Hammerschlag] was making great saves out there so that just carried over to the offense,” Edmondson said.

Robert Morris finally won a faceoff early in the second quarter and grabbed some momentum with Jenna Irwin scoring off a free position. But the spark was short-lived as Leubecker scored to keep the Terps in control. Shannon Smith added another score less than a minute later and Kate Sites scored her third goal of the season, showcasing Maryland’s depth and extending the lead to seven at the half. 

Terps’ star goalkeeper Emily Sterling didn’t start as coach Cathy Reese opted to rest her following a minor injury sustained against Rutgers. Julia Hammerschlag made her first career start in her place and allowed just one goal while making eight saves. 

“We’ve spent a lot of time this week talking about doing your job and when your name is called, being ready to step up and there’s no better example of that than Julia today,” Reese said. “Coming in anchoring our defense, she made some great saves out there. She brought that energy, enthusiasm and confidence.”

Maryland’s defensive unit, a hallmark of the program, gave Hammerschlag plenty of help by shutting down the Robert Morris offense. The defense forced 15 Colonials’ turnovers, including multiple occasions where they snatched a pass out of the air before it reached the intended target. 

The Terps continued the offensive barrage into the second half with Edmondson and Leubecker completing their hat tricks early in the third. Sites had scored just 22 career goals and two scores this season coming into the contest, but she stepped up to give Maryland an extra offensive dimension. Sites scored twice in the third to grab her first career hat trick. 

Maryland scored seven third-quarter goals to extend its lead to 15-1. Sites and Maggie Weisman added fourth-quarter goals to secure the victory. 

The Terps are back in action on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. They will face the winner of Penn State vs. James Madison. Penn State defeated Maryland earlier in the year while the Terps came out victorious against the Dukes.