Cathy Reese makes history in Maryland women’s lacrosse’s 16-6 win over Virginia

No. 2-ranked Maryland women’s lacrosse defeated No. 8 Virginia, 16-6, on the road Wednesday night, making Cathy Reese the winningest coach in school history.

Reese overtakes her former coach and mentor Cindy Timchal in the record books with 261 wins and counting as the Terps continue their undefeated season.

The Terps (13-0, 3-0) dominated the game from the opening draw and never looked back against the Cavaliers (9-5, 1-4), taking a 10-goal lead in the first half and leading by seven at halftime. This is the seventh game this season Maryland has won by double-digits.

Caroline Steele was on fire for Maryland, scoring four goals while adding one assist. Brindi Griffin notched four goals of her own, while Erica Evans chipped in three. Goalkeeper Megan Taylor continued the best season of her career with nine saves on 15 shots.

The Terps scored four goals in the first eight minutes of the first half, while holding Virginia scoreless in that span. Evans had the first score to get Maryland going and added another during the opening run on a free-position shot.

Maryland and Virginia had pretty equal possession in the first half, but the Terps’ hounding defense prevented the Cavaliers from forming any real scoring chances. The Cavaliers didn’t score until around 20 minutes into the contest. The Terps scored seven other goals in the opening period, but allowed Virginia three goals in less than two minutes at the end of the half to go into halftime leading 11-4.

Maryland had a slower start to the second half, only scoring one goal in the first 10 minutes amidst tight Virginia defense that collapsed on players close to the goal. It wouldn’t hurt the Terps too much, though, as the Cavaliers also only had one goal in that span.

But the Terps wouldn’t be held on offense for long. They went on to outscore Virginia 5-2 in the final half, bringing the margin back up to 10 when the clock ran out.

Maryland hosts Michigan at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Three things to know

1. Hat tricks were abundant in this victory. By just halftime, Steele and fellow attacker Brindi Griffin each had one. And by the time the final clock sounded, Evans also joined in on the action. Midfielders Meghan Siverson and Jen Giles were close to the feat with two goals each on the night.

2. Maryland continued its efficiency on free position shots. The Terps scored goals on both of their first two free position chances and finished the game going three for six to make the most of those opportunities. However, Maryland didn’t do as well defensively when Virginia had its chance, allowing three goals on four free position shots.

3. Draw controls were a struggle. The Terps boast the sixth-best draw control percentage in the country at 60.6 percent, but were stifled by the Cavaliers in the draw circle in this one. Virginia ended with a 15-9 advantage on draws. Midfielder Kali Hartshorn, who leads Maryland in draw controls this season, only had two in the game.