Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins
No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse (3-1) continues its win streak, making this the third straight victory against Denver (3-3), 14-10, but it was a battle for the Terps.
Maryland faced a major setback in the second quarter, failing to win a single draw while Denver dominated with four. The Pioneers took advantage with multiple consecutive possessions and three straight goals, taking a 6-5 lead at halftime.
Despite the struggles, the Terps didn’t back down. Denver wore down Maryland’s defense, but it wasn’t enough to stop it completely.
Although the Terps started strong in the first quarter, winning the first possession and scoring just 41 seconds into the game, senior Jordyn Lipkin fired one home off an assist from junior Kori Edmondson.
The Pioneers responded quickly, flying down the field to score, but Maryland held Denver to just two goals, ending the first quarter with a 5-2 lead.
After a challenging second quarter that Denver controlled, Maryland needed to step up the pressure in the second half and that’s exactly what the Terps did.
Going into the third quarter, the Terps won two consecutive draw controls. Lipkin tied the game at six with the first goal of the quarter, and graduate student Kate Sites gave Maryland its first lead since before halftime. After a tough second quarter, freshman Kayla Gilmore extended the Terps’ run with a third straight goal, giving them a two-point advantage.
Edmondson was electric, closing out the third quarter with back-to-back goals after Denver scored its only goal of the period. She fought through the defense and attacked, pushing the Terps’ lead to three.
Maryland secured seven goals in the third quarter and eight draw controls by the end of the period, a major turnaround from the struggles it faced late in the second quarter.
The Terps entered the fourth with a 12-7 lead.
Denver did not back down in the final quarter, responding with three consecutive goals to cut the deficit to two. However, graduate student Chrissy Thomas used her speed to score late in the fourth, and Edmondson followed with another goal.
Despite their second-quarter setback, the Terps bounced back and held strong.
Maryland will head to its first road game of the season against James Madison next Saturday.
