No. 12 Maryland women’s lacrosse vs. No. 2 Northwestern preview

No. 12 Maryland women’s lacrosse (12-4, 4-1 Big Ten) has endured the fourth-hardest schedule this season among Division I schools. But nothing it’s faced could fully prepare it for the offensive onslaught it’ll see at No. 2 Northwestern (14-1, 5-0 Big Ten) Saturday night.

The Terps can split a share of the Big Ten regular season championship if they pull off the upset. But opposing coaches have yet to find the recipe to stopping the Wildcat attack this season.

Northwestern has scored at least 13 goals in every game this season, and have five 20-goal performances under its belt. No other Big Ten team has more than one. The Wildcats lead the conference in every major offensive category by a wide margin, and are the country’s top-scoring unit on a per-game basis.

Their consistent dominance is made possible by the Tewaaraton Award frontrunner, attacker Izzy Scane. She’s found the net at least four times in every match she’s played in.

The graduate student shattered the single-season conference record for goals in 2021, scoring 98 times in just 16 games en route to a NCAA Tournament Final Four bid. Scane scored 23 goals in three games against Maryland that season.

She missed all of 2022 due to injury, but is leading the nation in goals per game by nearly a full mark in her return, and is putting together a highlight reel unmatched in collegiate women’s lacrosse.

Scane has tallied 72 goals in just 13 games, but the group is far from top-heavy.

Northwestern has five players with at least 25 goals, and four with double-digit assists. Four Wildcats were named to the Tewaaraton Award watch list, the highest number in the country. 

“It’s not about shutting out or trying to stop Izzy Scane,” coach Cathy Reese said. “We need to play good team defense … and put [senior goalkeeper Emily Sterling] in a position to make saves.”

Attacker Hailey Rhatigan transferred from Mercer for her graduate year, and has proven to be a more-than-capable secondary scorer. She has the Big Ten’s second-most goals per game, behind only Scane.

Senior attacker Erin Coykendall plays the same role junior attackers Eloise Clevenger and Chrissy Thomas do for the Terps. She spends most of her time behind the net, and as Northwestern’s primary feeder, most plays run through her. And she adds on 2.6 goals per game, the seventh-most in the conference.

The Wildcats’ offense, despite the amount of shots and assists, is extremely efficient. It’s tied for the Big Ten’s fewest turnovers per game, and shoots a conference-best 49 percent on the year. 

But despite that — and the conference’s second-best draw control percentage — their defense sees the most action out of either side of the ball, due to how fast the offense operates. The unit has more than held its own — they’re a top-25 scoring defense nationwide.

Junior midfielder Kendall Halpern anchors that group, leading the team in ground balls and tying for the lead in caused turnovers. Sophomore defender Samantha White holds the other half of that lead, and has a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week nod on the season.

But graduate student goalkeeper Molly Laliberty has faltered at times throughout the year. She has finished with a save percentage above 50 percent in just a third of the team’s outings, and the Terps get off the third-most shots on goal per game in the conference — possibly spelling trouble for the anchor of the Northwestern defense.

“If we control the draw, and … maximize the amount of times that we’re scoring on the offensive end … and [are] aggressive, I think we should come away with the result that we want,” senior attacker Libby May said.

Maryland is the only Big Ten team better than the Wildcats in the draw circle. This will undoubtedly help it in the effort to neutralize Northwestern’s offensive volume. 

And if the Terps can do that, it puts them in position to capitalize on their own volume.

Reese thought the Terps came out flat in their last game, a 12-7 loss to No. 14 Penn State. If they win, it’ll likely be in a shootout — she wants to see her offense embody a more aggressive mindset on Saturday, and not be afraid to make mistakes.

“We have to come out every single day, work our butts off and just be as aggressive as possible,” May added. “This week, we’re putting ourselves in tough situations so that come gametime, we’re comfortable to handle this.”

Opening draw is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST in Evanston.

“We’ve gone through a lot as a team in the past couple of weeks,” Reese said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to compete.”