No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse handles No. 12 James Madison, 11-5

Written By Apo March 8, 2025 Add Comment

The Terps secured their fourth straight victory.

In No. 9 Maryland women’s lacrosse’s last matchup against a ranked opponent, it got off to a slow start, allowing five early goals and struggling to stay within striking distance. That was not the case against No. 12 James Madison.

After freshman Kayla Gilmore won the opening faceoff, the Terps wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Kate Sites circled the net and delivered a pass in stride to Jordyn Lipkin, who rifled off the shot past goalie Adanya Moyer.

A five-goal first-quarter outburst propelled Maryland to an 11-5 win over James Madison in its first road game of the season, securing a ranked win in the process.

Lipkin’s goal was just the beginning.

Three possessions later, Dukes’ defender Maddie Weybrecht committed a foul. Kori Edmondson took charge on Maryland’s first free position opportunity. She stormed at the net and whistled the ball into the far side of the net for her 13th goal of the season.

Edmondson’s score gave the Terps a two-goal advantage — one they wouldn’t relinquish.

Maryland’s defensive game plan centered around Maddie Epke, James Madison’s junior attacker. Epke — an All-American honorable mention and the program’s single-season leader in draw controls — has picked up where she left off last season.

However, she didn’t have any success against the Terps’ backline. Despite averaging a team-high 3.2 goals per game, Epke was held in check for nearly 29 minutes. Maryland repeatedly threw double-teams her way, forcing her teammates to beat goalie JJ Suriano. This strategy worked, as the Dukes’ offense was held scoreless for the opening 17 minutes.

The Terps held James Madison to just 25 shot attempts. But when Suriano was called upon, she was up to the challenge. In likely her best game in a Maryland uniform, she recorded a season-high 13 saves and stopped six of the seven free-position opportunities she faced.

While the Terps’ defense allowed their fewest goals of the season, their faceoff unit was the bigger storyline. Between Edmondson, Gilmore and Shelby Sullivan, Maryland controlled the circle, 10-5, in the opening half and held Epke — the third-best X player in the nation — in check.

This handed the Terps extra possessions, and they took full advantage. After scoring four goals in the second half of Maryland’s last game, Edmondson found her own offense early. The junior continues to look like the Tewaaraton Award Watch List player she was expected to be this season, notching a hat trick midway through the second quarter.

Edmondson’s second goal of the game capped off the Terps’ dominant first quarter and moved the score to 5-0. The Terps only added to this lead, responding to the Dukes’ first goal with scores from Sullivan and Sites.

After scoring on just three of seven free position chances against Denver, Maryland was a lot more efficient in that regard against James Madison. The Terps found the back of the net on three of its first four attempts.

Despite both teams combining for 13 goals in the opening half, the latter half was a defensive affair, with just three goals being scored.

Maryland will be back in action on Thursday as it travels to Penn State for its Big Ten opener.

Three things to know

1. Complete performance. In Maryland’s first four games of the season, it didn’t look like a top-10 team in the nation, scraping by against inferior competition. However, against James Madison, the Terps played by their best game of the season by far. All three phases looked sharp and dominant.

2. Freshmen handled the noise. With 11 freshmen on the roster, Maryland could have struggled in its first road game on the season. That was not the case. The Terps’ new pieces came to play, combining for three goals — two from Sullivan and one from Devin Livingston — while also holding their own in the draw circle.

3. Nine-goal first half explosion. While Maryland went scoreless in the second quarter against Denver after scoring five goals in the opening quarter, its offense didn’t skip a beat in the first half. Seven different players found the back of the net, helping the Terps lead wire-to-wire.

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