Partially thanks to the return of goalkeeper Megan Taylor, Maryland women’s lacrosse beat No. 11 Penn 11-7 Wednesday night. The Terps complete an undefeated 4-0 homestand and improve to 8-0 on the season
Kali Hartshorn and Jen Giles lead the way offensively, scoring a hat trick each. Taylor Hensh and Megan Whittle added two goals themselves, and Caroline Wannen capped off the game with a goal of her own. Taylor was strong in her return, saving 12 of 19 Penn shots on goal.
This game was decided during a 16-minute stretch when Maryland went on a 6-0 run, including all three of Giles’ goals. However, after two strong performances, this wasn’t Maryland’s cleanest game. They started the game slow offensively and lost the turnover battle 14-13. However, they won the draw control battle 12-8 and only committed 16 fouls to Penn’s 25.
Due to the Terps’ slow start, they only scored two goals in the first 20 minutes. However, they ended the half strong with a 5-0 run to take a 7-2 advantage into the intermission. Hartshorn recorded her hat trick in the first half alone.
The second half was a lot closer than Maryland wanted it to be. Penn made a run, cutting the lead to four multiple times, and didn’t allow the Terps to run away with this one. However, Maryland stopped any Penn momentum to secure the victory.
Maryland heads Virginia to face James Madison on Saturday.
Three Things to Know
- Welcome back, Megan Taylor. The Terps goalkeeper didn’t skip a beat in her return. Taylor’s presence was a welcome sight for the Terps, who found themselves stuck in their own zone too often. Thanks to some timely saves, Maryland was able to survive a patient and pesky Penn offense.
- Unusually close game. This was Maryland’s tightest game since beating North Carolina by three a month ago. Whether it was Penn’s tough defense or the short rest, The Terps were uncharacteristically sloppy on both ends, but were able to survive anyway
- Lack of offense. This was Maryland’s lowest scoring game of the season, previously notching 13 goals twice. However, this might have been as much due to Penn’s top 10 defense as it was their off night. Whatever the case, expect the offense to pick up again on Saturday.