No. 4 Maryland women’s lacrosse squanders early lead in 12-11 loss to No. 24 Penn State

The Terps took their foot off the gas after a strong first quarter, dropping Saturday’s crucial conference bout.

No. 4 Maryland women’s lacrosse was well on its way to a seventh Big Ten regular-season title in 10 years. Six of the Terps’ first 10 shots found the back of the net and its defense didn’t allow No. 4 Penn State to command much possession. Maryland was in control.

But then everything switched. What was a clinical senior day performance by the Terps suddenly turned into a 48-minute stretch in which they played mistake-laden lacrosse.

“We had plenty of opportunities and we didn’t finish,” head coach Cathy Reese said.

The Nittany Lions scored eight of the game’s next nine scores to take a one-goal advantage. They were able to hold off a fourth-quarter comeback effort from Maryland to pull off a 12-11 upset win.

The Terps’ start was blistering. Libby May scored just 52 seconds in before Hannah Leubecker and Chrissy Thomas both scored a pair of goals to put Maryland up five.

But with 3:01 left in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions found life from senior attacker Gretchen Gilmore’s goal. They then stole the momentum when senior midfielder Kristin O’Neill scored her first of three goals with less than one second remaining in the initial frame.

A scoring drought of over 10 minutes ensued, which was ended by Thomas’ third tally of the afternoon, giving Maryland a four-goal lead.

But the Terps couldn’t keep their strong play rolling, scoring just one goal over the next 20 minutes. Penn State took advantage, scoring six third-quarter goals.

“We were getting great looks on cage and had good opportunities, but didn’t finish and that hurt us big time,” Reese said.

Most of Maryland’s faults came from self-inflicted wounds. It managed 36 shots to Penn State’s 22, but 14 of them missed the goal. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions were on target with all but seven of their shots.

Perhaps the biggest stunner of the day came in net. Maryland’s Emily Sterling, one of the best goalies in the nation, struggled immensely, making only four stops. She wasn’t helped by Maryland surrendering a season-high 11 free positions, of which Penn State converted on eight.

“Defensively, we put them on the eight-meter more than we’ve ever put anybody on [it],” Reese added.

On the other hand, Penn State goalie Sydney Manning, a freshman, made 11 stops on 22 shots.

With Penn State up 10-8 early in the fourth quarter, Eloise Clevenger did her best to will Maryland back into the game. She scored twice to even the score, but Penn State responded with two straight goals.

Leubecker brought the deficit back to one with just over three minutes, but a last-ditch effort in the final 90 seconds flew over the post. Penn State had possession and ended the game.

“I think [the loss] is gonna drive our team further. We’re gonna make the adjustments and in the end, we’re gonna come out stronger,” Thomas said.

Three things to know

1. The Terps let up in the middle frames. Maryland scored six goals in the first 13 minutes, converting on all but four of its shots in the first quarter. But it scored just once in the next 20 minutes, managing two goals in the second and third quarters combined.

2. Home struggles continue. A Cathy Reese-coached team had not lost a home conference game in 17 years entering this season. The Terps have now lost two straight at home.

3. A massive opportunity squandered. The Terps had Penn State on the ropes early but let up, missing a chance to lock up a top-two seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

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