Preview: No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse faces No. 2 James Madison in top 10 battle

No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse (5-1) returns to College Park on Sunday to face No. 2 James Madison (6-0) in another top-10 showdown. 

The Terps are coming off of a dominant 20-5 victory over William & Mary that featured 10 different Maryland goalscorers, including seven with multiple. 

The offensive explosion was led by Hannah Leubecker, who scored her 31st hat trick of her career and added two assists. She leads Maryland with 12 goals this year, while Libby May and Kori Edmondson have also reached double digit scores. 

Maggie Weisman put in a strong performance, netting the first hat trick of her career. The sophomore has been on fire lately, scoring seven goals on eight shots over the past three games.

“Maggie’s been playing and the more experience she gets, the stronger and more confident she’s going to be,” coach Cathy Reese said. “I think we’re seeing a lot of new faces out there on the offensive end that are contributing and doing a really good job.” 

Eloise Clevenger has been the driving force behind the Terps’ dangerous offense this season. She leads the team with 31 points and 22 assists, tied for third most in the nation. 

“She’s an outstanding player,” Reese said. “She’s got great field vision and that’s no secret.” 

On the defensive side, Rutgers transfer and the 2023 Big Ten Defender of the Year Meghan Ball has been excellent thus far. She has frustrated opposing teams with her active pressure and leads Maryland with 13 caused turnovers and 15 ground balls to go with 22 draw controls. 

The Terps have gained important extra possessions by dominating the draw so far. Shaylan Ahearn has played a massive part in that success, leading the squad with 31 draw controls. 

Maryland faces a familiar opponent in the Dukes — the Terps hold the all-time series lead 42-6. But James Madison beat Maryland twice last year, including knocking out the Terps in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

“From a personal perspective, that’s a game for us that doesn’t take a whole lot to get excited to play,” Reese said. “We lost to them twice last year by one goal, and they ended our season so it’s a game that I know our girls are excited to have and looking forward to playing at home.”

The Dukes are undefeated so far and their resume includes a thrilling 19-18 overtime victory over then-No. 3 UNC and a ranked win against then-No. 24 UConn. 

James Madison’s offense has been humming to start the year, scoring 113 goals and averaging 18.83 goals per game, second most in the nation. The battle between the Dukes’ attack and Maryland’s defense will be crucial — the Terps rank fifth in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 7.33 goals per game. 

The high-flying James Madison offense is spearheaded by graduate student Kacey Knobloch, who leads the team with 13 assists while also adding 15 goals. 

Attacker Isabella Peterson has been lighting up the scoreboard. She leads the Dukes with 22 goals, and has scored at least three goals in every game this year, including three five-goal performances. 

Other offensive standouts include Maddie Epke, Katelyn Morgan and Taylor Marchetti, all with double digit scores on the season. Epke has scored 19 goals and picked up nine assists. She delivered an out of this world performance against North Carolina, scoring seven goals to secure the victory. 

Caitlin Boden has provided a solid presence in the cage with 52 saves this year, including a season-high 16 stops against UConn. 

The matchup at SECU Stadium is set for an early start at 11 a.m.