No. 2 Maryland women’s lacrosse remains hot with 13-8 win over Rutgers

Libby May controlled the opening draw to give Maryland women’s lacrosse the first possession against Rutgers. She then found the back of the net to open the scoring and set the tone for another Terp victory. 

No. 2 Maryland defeated Rutgers at home on Sunday, 13-8, to extend the Terps’ winning streak to six games. 

May scored her second hat trick of the year in another strong performance for the reliable veteran. 

Maryland (9-1, 2-0 Big Ten) had to battle to keep the spirited Scarlet Knights (5-5, 0-3 Big Ten) at bay. Hannah Leubecker, the Terps’ leading scorer, delivered a dynamic six-goal outing that secured the victory.  

“We know what Hannah’s capable of and I think we saw her at a whole nother level today,” coach Cathy Reese said. “She’s such a threat, so dangerous, such a great dodger and today, finished all the opportunities she had which obviously led our team to victory.” 

Maryland jumped on Rutgers at the start. Shaylan Ahearn dominated the draw, winning the first six faceoffs and allowing the Terps to gain a 3-0 lead before the Scarlet Knights even touched the ball. 

Maryland controlled 17 of 24 draws during the match, providing a clear edge in possession for the Terps. 

The Scarlet Knights finally gained possession off a turnover and got a goal back, but Maryland’s efficient offense continued to pose major threats for the Rutgers defense. Leubecker scored twice at the end of the first to give the Terps a commanding 6-1 lead. 

Maryland’s offense went cold in the second, suffering a quarter-long scoring drought that allowed the Scarlet Knights to gather momentum for the first time in the game. The Terps led 6-3 after one half.  

The drought lasted over 20 minutes until Leubecker scored a timely goal at the 12:30 mark of the third quarter to keep Rutgers’ comeback attempt at arms length. 

“They switched into a man from the zone and we just need to communicate through that, continue to dodge hard and work off the ball,” Leubecker said. “So once we talked through it, trusted each other and worked together a little bit more, those opportunities came.” 

Kori Edmondson and Maggie Weisman added scores in the period as the Terps fought to maintain their lead. 

Maisy Clevenger set up Leubecker with an incisive pass for an easy score late in the third to cap off a back and forth quarter that ended with Maryland’s advantage still at three.

Leubecker continued to be an absolute nightmare for the Scarlet Knights defense, scoring twice more in the fourth quarter to cap off a monster game. May scored a late goal to claim her hat trick and shut the door permanently on Rutgers.

The Terps’ defense hounded the Scarlet Knights attack and made them uncomfortable throughout the day. Meghan Ball, a transfer from Rutgers, didn’t give her former team any space and constantly looked to knock the ball from their sticks to force turnovers. 

Rutgers’ offense was at its best when complemented by turnovers from the defense. The Scarlet Knights finally gained possession off a takeaway five minutes into the match, leading to a Cassidy Spilis goal. 

The Terps’ second quarter scoring drought — coupled with Rutgers’ excellent draw controls late in the first half — helped the Scarlet Knights get back in the contest. Spilis and Ava Kane scored early in the second to cut the Maryland lead to three. 

Neither team generated many scoring opportunities for the final nine minutes of the half as both defenses mucked it up and created sloppy offensive play. 

“We’ve got to remember to celebrate our successes and the little things that went well but I think we have a whole nother level we just haven’t reached yet,” Reese said. “We just need to make sure we’re all on the same page as we continue to go through the season and have more consistency from quarter to quarter.”

Spilis exploded for a third quarter hat trick as both offenses started to lock into a groove. Michelle Warren added a free position goal to cut the Maryland lead to two but that proved to be the pinnacle of the Scarlet Knights comeback attempt. 

Payton Tini netted an early fourth quarter score but the Terps stayed composed as the clock ran out on the Rutgers offense.