Maryland leans on defense to ignite offense vs. Ohio State
COLLEGE PARK — The defense for the Maryland women’s lacrosse team proved crucial when it was needed the most.
Nursing a two-goal lead at halftime, the defense set the tone in the second half for the No. 10 Terps to pull away from visiting Ohio State for a 14-9 victory on Thursday evening before an announced attendance of 100 family members at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.
Maryland (4-1 overall and in the Big Ten) enjoyed its third consecutive game in which the opponent scored less than 10 goals. That’s a far cry from the eight-game streak the 2019 squad set from March 13 to April 6 en route to the national championship, but the display was an encouraging one for coach Cathy Reese.
“I think we’re making progress defensively,” she said. “As we started this season, I told you guys that we were young this year and that we needed to keep growing and keep getting better. I am really proud that we’re doing that. We are getting better, and we’re better than what we were a few weeks ago, and we showed that today defensively.”
The game did not appear it would be a closely contested affairinthebeginningastheTerps sprinted to an 8-2 advantage after sophomore attacker Hannah Leubecker cashed in on a free-position chance with 15:46 left in the first half. But the Buckeyes reeled off four unanswered goals over an 11:40 stretch to trail by only 8-6 at intermission.
That’swhenMarylandreturned to its defensive roots. Ohio State’s first three possessions on offense resulted in back-to-back turnovers and a save by sophomore goalkeeper Emily Sterling. After graduate student attacker Brindi Griffin (McDonogh) converted a pass from senior midfielder Grace
Griffin to end a 19:52 drought for the Terps with 25:54 left in the second half, the Buckeyes committed two more turnovers before Leubecker scored with 21:36 remaining to extend the lead to 10-6.
Grace Griffin, a Sykesville resident and Liberty graduate, said halftime proved a timely development for the team.
“I think we just needed a reset, and halftime was the perfect way to do that,” she said. “We just needed to go back to the way we were playing. We knew we were capable. No one was freaking out or anything. We just knew we had to get back to how we started the game and how we play our Maryland defense.”
Ohio State scored only three goals in the second half with the final one occurring with 14.9 seconds left when the game was pretty much out of reach. After unleashing 18 shots in the first 30 minutes, the Buckeyes were limited to 12 attempts in the second, had only one free-position opportunity (which they missed), and won only 2-of-10 draw controls.
“We started to just kind of settle down,” Reese said. “We got our slides where we needed to be, and we played more disciplined, and we ended up getting a few shotclock violations. We caused a lot of turnovers today in that period of time. As we look to put these pieces together, we need to capitalize on that on the offensive end when we get the turnover. Defensively, I just felt like we were much more disciplined, we were more organized, we were more checked in through the second half and real confident in ourselves and each other.”
The defense was anchored by Colson, a Manchester resident and Manchester Valley graduate who had game highs in draw controls (eight), ground balls (five) and caused turnovers (four); senior defender Tori Barretta, who amassed three ground balls and two caused turnovers; and Sterling, a Bel Air resident and John Carroll graduate who finished with five saves.
Ten of Ohio State’s game-high 17 turnovers were caused by the Terps, who turned those gaffes into opportunities.
“The defense feeds our offense,” Griffin said. “Knowing that every single play on the field matters, everyone’s contributing, and everyone’s feeding each other. We’re playing as a team, we’re not playing as individuals. Defensive stops keep the momentum going on offense, and all over the field, everyone’s playing for each other and focusing on the little wins. Every defensive stop is a great victory for us.”
Leubecker, a Forest Hill resident, led all scorers with seven goals and added an assist. Her eight points were matched by Grace Griffin, who compiled four goals and four assists.
Leubecker’s seven-goal outburst matched a career high she set in a 17-13 victory over Michigan on Feb. 26, but she downplayed her performance.
“The opportunities really opened up, and it just happened to be me,” she said. “It could have been anybody. And once we get back to moving like we know how to move and playing against the zone effectively, those opportunities will open up [for others].”
Graduate student attacker Liza Hernandez paced the Buckeyes (1-6 overall and in the conference) with three goals, and graduate student goalie Jillian Rizzo turned aside a game-best nine shots. But Ohio State dropped its fifth game in a row and has not won since Feb. 21.
OHIO STATE@ NO. 10 MARYLAND Saturday, noon Video: BTN-Plus