No. 7 Maryland women’s lacrosse vs. No. 6 Syracuse preview

The Terps open their season at home.

No. 7 Maryland women’s lacrosse will face off against No. 6 Syracuse for the third consecutive year.

Despite the Terps holding a 24-3 advantage in the series, these meetings usually come down to the wire. Last year was no different, as they won, 9-8, in an overtime thriller. In a back-and-forth affair that saw six ties — four of which came in the second half — Hannah Leubecker won it for Maryland. Kori Edmondson added a hat trick.

“We need to play Maryland defense,” head coach Cathy Reese said. “We need to work together. It’s not going to be any one person’s responsibility to shut down any one player on their team. That’s how we've always approached things.”

The Terps open their season on Saturday at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. The contest starts at 11 a.m. and will stream on Big Ten Plus.

No. 6 Syracuse Orange (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference)

2024 record: 16-6, 8-1 ACC

Fourth-year head coach Kayla Treanor has experienced similar success at the helm as she did in her playing career with the Orange. In her first two seasons, Treanor guided Syracuse to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals and semifinals, including the program’s longest winning streak (15). The Orange are 40-15 under Treanor.

Last year was just as good, making another deep run to the semifinals, where the Orange were eliminated by Boston College for the second consecutive year — this time, 10-7.

Syracuse opened its season with a dominant victory over UAlbany, 21-9.

Players to watch

Olivia Adamson, senior attacker, No. 1 — Adamson has gotten better each year of her collegiate career. Last season, she finished second on the team in goals (58) and assists (25). She also earned a Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-America third-team selection. Adamson will be the face of Syracuse’s attack this season.

Emma Ward, graduate attacker, No. 44 — The two-time All-ACC honoree and 2023 IWLCA All-American first-teamer returned for her final season. Ward has tallied 128 goals and 125 assists over three years, including a career-high 44 goals and team-high 37 assists last season. She recorded a hat trick in the season-opener against Albany.

Sam DeVito, graduate midfielder, No. 72 — DeVito looked the part in her first game with the Orange, notching one goal and two assists. The Princeton transfer started 16 games last season and tallied a career-high 21 goals, six assists and 15 ground balls. She was named to the All-Ivy League second team in 2023.

Strength

Draw controls. Syracuse was one of the best teams in the country on the faceoff last season, finishing with the fifth-best draw control percentage (62.1). While they lost their faceoff specialist, the Orange used a committee approach in their season opener. Syracuse won 19 of the 33 faceoffs, with six different players recording a draw control.

Weakness

Roster turnover. The Orange return just four of their 12 starters from last year’s rotation, losing their starting goalie, top goalscorer and faceoff specialist. A lot of Syracuse’s success this year will hinge on Adamson, Ward, DeVito and its two returning defenders. Maryland will provide the Orange with their first true test to see what this group is capable of.

Three things to know

1. Who starts in goal for Maryland? With the departure of netminder Emily Sterling, the Terps will need to determine early on who will take over the reins. Caroline Smith — who started all but one game last season for Butler — is a potential option. Returners JJ Suriano and Carly Peterson are both vying for the starting nod as well.

2. Season-opener success. Maryland has fallen just once in its opening game since 2006, the lone loss coming in 2021 against Johns Hopkins, 15-13. However, Syracuse won’t be an easy opponent to handle, especially as the Terps figure out their rotation. Maryland also went 5-6 at home last season.

“I think it’s less about who we play and all about us,” Reese said. “Everybody does something different on this team. ... They are all great players and just trying to get us all on the same page. I think when we can play off each other’s strengths, we can be a team that’s a really special group.”

3. Freshman involvement early. The Terps brought in 11 recruits, all of which are potential rotational pieces. The frontrunners for game time are their four top-30 ranked freshman recruits: midfielders Kayla Gilmore, Devin Livingston and Emma Abbazia and defender Lydia Ward.

“The more experience, the better for us right now,” Reese said. “Getting game reps, seeing things happen at the speed that the college game is.”

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