IN SEASON
NCAA WOMEN'S LACROSSE
#1 MARYLAND
DEFENDING NCAA CHAMPIONS
As the 2017 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Champions, Maryland will look to repeat their national championship. Under Head Coach, Cathy Reese, the Terps have won three NCAA titles in the last five years. The Terrapins success is unprecedented with a history of 14 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse titles – their only weakness is that the Terps don’t know how to lose.
Despite losing Tewaaraton Award winner, Zoe Stuckenberg, and All-American defender Nadine Hadnagy, Coach Reese knows how to rebuild a team with the additions of Louisville transfer, Meghan Siverson, to the midfield and Syracuse transfer, Kathy Rudkin, to the defense and starting Freshman, Grace Griffin, to the midfield.
Led by Megan Whittle and Caroline Steele on attack, Whittle recently broke Maryland’s all time record as the leading goal scorer. Maryland’s midfield is solid from the draw control to both sides of the field on attack and defense with Jen Giles, Grace Griffin and Kali Hartshorn. Maryland’s defense works as a unit with goalie, Megan Taylor, to shut down attacks.
ATTACK
Maryland’s attack is stacked with the top players in women’s lacrosse. Megan Whittle continues to set records with over 279 career goals breaking Maryland’s record as the all-time goal scorer. Caroline Steele is a superstar lefty who has vision to feed, an explosive attack to goal and an unstoppable low-to-high riser free position with the ability to place in locations that goalies can’t predict. Steele is supported by Sophomore, Brindi Griffin on the low right side who played every game as a Freshman. Griffin is a tremendous athlete with vision to feed, roll the crease and score from the top, she works seamlessly with the Maryland attack to create powerhouse scoring machine.
Maryland’s attack has tremendous depth with multiple players coming off the bench to add a powerful dimension. The Terps often have five players with a hat trick in any given game, so face guarding Whittle and Steele can backfire and fuel the rest of the attack. Senior Captain, Taylor Hensh, is the top player off the bench, playing every game in 2017 and an important role in the Terps NCAA title. Maryland’s attack is supported by an outstanding midfield which is a scoring threat on every play from top of the 8-meter.
MIDFIELD
Maryland has one of the most athletic and skilled midfields in women’s lacrosse today. Led by Jen Giles, Kali Hartshorn, Meghan Siverson and Freshman, Grace Griffin, the Terps have depth, strength and speed to wear down any opponent.
With the draws key to possession, the Terps have two draw specialists: Kali Hartshorn and Meghan Siverson. Not only are both dominant on the draws but they are also scoring machines. Hartshorn started all games earning 2017 Big Ten Freshman of the Year with 58 goals and leading the Terps with over 120 draws. Siverson recorded 55 goals and 91 draw controls at Louisville and is a huge transfer for Maryland.
DEFENSE
Maryland has the top defense in women’s lacrosse led by Julia Braig, Lizzie Colson, and Syracuse transfer, Kathy Rudkin. The Terps defense has size and speed to shut down any attack and then break the ball all the way down the field on transition to the attack. Rudkin is one of the fastest defenders in the game today with excellent body positioning, getting down low to anticipate an attacker’s next move.
The Terps play a physical defense, making it difficult for any attack to penetrate. They work together as a cohesive unit with veteran goalie, Megan Taylor. Taylor’s instincts and poise in goal help her to come up with big saves at key times in a game which are key to the Terps success.
PRESEASON REPORT
FINAL FOUR
