Maryland women’s lacrosse beats No. 7 Princeton, 18-12

Princeton came into Wednesday’s game against Maryland women’s lacrosse with a top offense, top defense and top goalkeeper, but it didn’t seem like it. The top-ranked Terps defeated the No. 7 Tigers 18-12, holding off a few Princeton rallies and proving they are still the best team in the country. This was Maryland’s 60th straight victory at home.

Both Kali Hartshorn and Megan Whittle starred for Maryland. Each tallied four goals in the first half, with Hartshorn adding an assist for her fifth point. Hartshorn got her hat trick just seven minutes in to the game, while Whittle scored her third 15 minutes in.

Hartshorn specifically has continued her tremendous play. The freshman now has 11 goals in her last two games and continues to improve every game.

However, those weren’t the Terps’ only two hat tricks, as Jen Giles scored four goals and Zoe Stukenberg scored three. Caroline Steele also pitched in with a goal.

Princeton played an extremely physical game, committing 50 fouls on the night, including 32 in the second half. By comparison, Maryland only committed 19 fouls all game.

While the offense was stellar, goalkeeper Megan Taylor wasn’t at her best. She finished with a .478 save percentage and let up a few easy goals to allow Princeton back in it. However, Tigers goalie Ellie DeGarmo was also subpar, finishing with a .455 save percentage.

Maryland was able to keep the ball in its end most of the game. The Terps outshot the Tigers 47-27, including 33-23 on shots on goal. Maryland also did most of their damage early in the first period, jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first eight minutes of the game. From that moment on, each team scored 12 goals, so the fast start was a huge gain.

Maryland’s next matchup is on senior day against Ohio State on Saturday.

Three Things to Know

1. Surprisingly subpar goalkeeper performance. Taylor and DeGarmo came in to this matchup ranked in the top two in save percentage, so each of their performances was disappointing. Taylor now has a sub-.500 save percentage in her last three games, a slight drop from her scorching hot start to the season.
2. Maryland’s offense was top-heavy tonight. While the Terps scored 18 goals, they only had five goal-scorers. Maryland is normally very balanced team, but it took what Princeton was giving, and tonight that was an offense run through Whittle and Hartshorn.
3. The Terps, once again, stayed composed. This team knows it’s the No. 1 team in the country, and is always going to get its opponents’ best shot. In another extremely physical game, Maryland stayed composed to show off how well-coached and mentally-tough it is.