No. 10 Maryland women’s lacrosse vs. No. 15 Michigan preview

Maryland women’s lacrosse and Michigan both possess talented offenses. But don’t be surprised if the Sunday battle at SECU Stadium is a low-scoring affair.

The No. 10 Terps (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) and the No. 15 Wolverines (9-4, 2-1) are both uber-talented on defense. They’re the 16th and 10th best scoring defenses in the country, respectively.

And good luck getting the ball in the net even when those defenses are beat. Michigan’s junior goalkeeper Maya Santa-Maria leads the Big Ten with a .509 save percentage, and senior goalkeeper Emily Sterling on the other side is tied for second with a .485 mark.

The latter has looked more like the player that won IWLCA National Goalkeeper of the Year last season in recent weeks. Sterling averaged 6.4 saves in her first eight games, but that has skyrocketed to 12.25 over her last four.

“She’s a leader back there for us,” coach Cathy Reese said. “[Her teammates] value her voice and her opinion and her leadership, and her ability to control the defense.”

Neither team turns the ball over much, nor does either force many turnovers. They both usually create possessions with the ones they do cause, as the Terps and Wolverines are respectively fifth and 11th in the country in clear percentage.

But each team has cause for concern heading into their match.

Michigan is allowing only 8.6 goals a game. But against ranked teams, its numbers look much more bleak — such opponents average 11.8 goals. And the Wolverines are just 2-4 in those games.

Maryland’s unit, led by graduate students Abby Bosco and Marge Donovan, had one of its worse performances of the year on Wednesday against No. 17 Princeton. It allowed only 11 goals, but looked out of sorts for much of the second half.

“We have to keep our foot on the gas,” Donovan said. “And I know we can do it, and I’m excited for the next game against Michigan.”

The Terps need a bounceback performance if they want to contain one of the country’s best scorers, sophomore attacker Jill Smith. She’s stepped up this season, even more so after the absence of fellow sophomore attacker Kaylee Dyer — averaging 3.75 goals a game, second in the Big Ten and eighth in the country.

But the Wolverines lack depth behind her. Smith’s 45 goals dwarf their second-place scorer — graduate student midfielder Erin Garvey — who only has 17. It’ll be up to Maryland to contain Smith; if it can do so, its chances of remaining undefeated in the Big Ten should be strong.

Maryland’s offense does not operate like Michigan’s. Over its six-game winning streak, it’s had eight different players lead the team or tie to lead the team in single-game goals. The Terps spread the ball around, and have reaped the results of balance as the season progresses.

“That’s the kind of offense we want to have, that anyone on the field can be dangerous at any time,” Reese said. “We focus on being a really strong team offense where we’re all working for each other. Those opportunities are created because everyone’s able to step up.”

In a game as evenly-matched statistically as this one, it may come down to which defense allows more opportunities at the arc. 

Maryland leads the country in free-position shots, while Michigan is tied for sixth. But the Terps’ Big Ten-leading .510 free position percentage dwarfs the Wolverines’ .443 mark.

Princeton took 12 attempts from eight meters on Wednesday, by far the highest number allowed by the Terps this season. If that repeats, it could spell trouble for Maryland.