Maryland women’s lacrosse starts conference play with 16-1 drubbing of Ohio State

The No. 2-ranked Maryland women’s lacrosse team took down Ohio State, 16-1, to open up Big Ten play on Saturday afternoon in College Park.

The Terrapins (8-0, 1-0) outshined the Buckeyes (6-3, 0-1) from the start, including a 12-0 lead going into the half. Kali Hartshorn finished with five goals to lead the offensive onslaught. Caroline Steele, Meghan Siverson and Jen Giles recorded two goals each. This quartet dominated the first half, and Maryland played its reserves down the stretch.

The Terrapins outshot Ohio State 33-17 overall and led 29-14 in shots on net, in addition to a 12-7 advantage at the draw. If that wasn’t enough, Maryland’s goalies saved 11 of 12 shots they faced, with starter Megan Taylor going a perfect 8-for-8.

Scoring came early and often for Maryland, with four goals in the first 8:39, including two by Hartshorn. She finished the first half with five of The Terrapins’ 12 goals, as Giles, Siverson and Steele added two each.

Maryland outshot Ohio State 24-11 in the opening 30 minutes (21-8 in shots on goal), saved all eight Buckeye shots, and were a perfect six for six in free position chances. The Terrapins’ only faults in the half were four turnovers and only leading the draw control 8-5.

The second half was much of the same for Maryland, with two goals scored in the first 2:34 of the half. Ohio State then scored its lone goal of the game with Sara Dickinson getting the ball past Maddie McSally. Maryland sophomore Catie May and freshman Julia Hoffman were then able to put in one goal each as the offense kept flowing with younger players getting time to shine.

Maryland will face No. 20 Penn State on the road Thursday to continue conference play.

Three things to know

1. Just about everything went right for the Terps in this one. Maryland outshot Ohio State 32-17, led the draw control 12-7 and saved 11 shots. The lone issue to point at for the Terrapins could be turnovers, with 13 on the day, but that number is still an improvement after 46 total turnovers in their last three games (15.3 per contest).

“I think it was just a huge team effort,” Hartshorn said after the game. “I think the best part was everybody got to play. I think it’s really underrated that the bench players put in just as much work as we do, so when they get to be put in, I think it’s great.”

2. Megan Taylor, and her teammates, really shined in goal. Taylor saved all eight Ohio State shots on net in the first half, while McSally came in and allowed one goal while saving four shots and Madison Hine added three saves. Taylor’s performance continued what’s been a career season so far, while the backups turned in promising performances as well.

“All three goalies played great, had some really awesome saves,” head coach Cathy Reese said. She specifically gave credit to McSally, who had a one-on-one save that helped give the team an extra spark in the second half.

3. Everyone had a chance to shine for Maryland. In the second half, Cathy Reese was able to clear the bench a bit, giving both McSally and Hine time in net, while also allowing Hannah Warther, Julia Hoffman and others to log key minutes against a conference opponent. The key for the Terrapins was that no drop-off could be noticed between either half, which is a positive sign for the future.

“It’s just a huge confidence booster,” McSally said of logging minutes in a Big Ten game. “Coming out here with such a strong and talented group of girls is so exciting. To get the chance to be around them, play with them, practice and be their teammate has been so much fun.”