Notebook: Reserves more than pitch in for women's lacrosse

Among its many laudable qualities, consistency has emerged as an early hallmark of the Terrapin women's lacrosse team only a handful of games into the season.

Through five games, coach Cathy Reese doled out the majority of action to her starters, a group that — barring injury — regularly features eight upperclassmen. They certainly haven't disappointed, prevailing by at least seven goals in all five contests.

Tuesday's nonconference matchup against unranked George Mason, though, offered a unique opportunity for Reese, whose squad faces a top-20 opponent more often than not. Provided the team could take a commanding lead, an abundance of playing time for its less experienced players seemed inevitable.

When the first part happened — the Terps (6-0) jumped out to a six-goal advantage in the first seven minutes against the Patriots — it didn't take long to see Reese empty out her bench. The coach began to shuttle reserves onto the field fewer than 10 minutes into the game and, with a staggering 17-goal halftime lead, played them the entire second half.

Freshman Jen Mendez, Meris Walsh and Amalie Trentzsch all tallied their first career goals in the rout and were among the contributors who perhaps offered a glimpse into the future of the program.

Mendez was the first of the trio to notch a goal, upping the Terp lead to 8-0 with 20:14 left in the first half. Trentzsch netted a team-high three scores while Walsh managed to launch a shot past George Mason's Brittany Pastrana as time expired at halftime for her second goal.

"Today was a good opportunity for us to get better as a team," coach Cathy Reese said Tuesday. "And we saw a lot of great things from our bench, which is really exciting as a coach because we were looking at people that are part of the future of Maryland lacrosse, and I think we had an opportunity to see some really good things from some of them."

TEWAARATON WATCH

Five members of the Terrapin women's lacrosse team were named to the initial Tewaaraton Award watch list, more than any other school in the nation.

Goalie Brittany Dipper, midfielders Laura Merrifield and Katie Schwarzmann, and attackers Karri Ellen Johnson and Sarah Mollison were among the 48 players named to the list.

Former Terp Caitlyn McFadden, an assistant coach at the University of Florida, won the sport's most prestigious award last year. Jen Adams, the school's all-time leading scorer, was the first female recipient of the award in 2001, its inaugural year.

Duke, North Carolina, Northwestern, Georgetown and Syracuse each had three student-athletes on the list.

INJURY UPDATE

Midfielder Laura Merrifield was a healthy scratch yesterday for the Terps, according to Reese.

The senior captain had missed the first three games this season with shingles but played against ACC rivals Duke and Virginia. She was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week early on Tuesday after she scored a team-high five goals in the Terps' 18-6 win against then-No. 5 Virginia on Friday.

Merrifield, a member of the British national team, is expected on the field when the Terps host No. 16 Syracuse at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex on Saturday.

castello@umdbk.com