Terps' Reese, Orange's Gait will meet in women's lacrosse reunion

Last season, in the penultimate game for the Terrapin women's lacrosse team — a 14-5 thrashing of No. 10 Syracuse in the NCAA semifinals — a familiar face paced the opposing sideline for the Orange, one Terp coach Cathy Reese knows quite well.

As a player, Reese won national championships for the Terps in each of her four years. She captured three more as an assistant coach as part of the school's seven-year title streak that stretched from 1995 to 2001.

Lacrosse legend Gary Gait, now in his fourth year at the helm of Syracuse women's lacrosse team, spent nine years as an assistant coach for the Terps. He coached Reese and was a member of the coaching staff for all seven titles.

Tomorrow, Gait will attempt to best his former pupil as the No. 1 Terps host No. 12 Syracuse — the first regular-season contest since 2005 between the teams — at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.

"Gary Gait is kind of renowned in the lacrosse world," attacker Karri Ellen Johnson said. "We're just excited to play another competition. They're a great team."

If history serves as an indicator of tomorrow's results, it certainly does not bode well for Syracuse. The Orange hasn't beaten the Terps in any of their 10 contests, nor has it beaten a No. 1-ranked team in 13 attempts.

Tomorrow's contest looms especially large for Syracuse (1-2) as the two sides appear to be heading in opposite directions.

The Terps (6-0) sandwiched a pair of impressive ACC wins against top-five rivals Duke and Virginia between dominant defensive efforts in which they allowed a combined four goals to both Penn State and George Mason.

The Orange, meanwhile, has lost two straight following a 19-14 season-opening win against Colgate. At least preparation won't be an issue for the team — tomorrow's contest marks its first in nearly two weeks since it dropped a 21-11 decision on Feb. 27 at home to Virginia.

The renewed rivalry features two of the top goalies in the country. The Terps' Brittany Dipper and Syracuse's Liz Hogan were two of three netminders named to the initial Tewaaraton Award watch list.

Reese said Dipper's leadership has stood out this year, helping the Terps to an undefeated start.

"She has a presence on the field," she said of the three-year starter. "She communicates well with her teammates, so for us as coaches, we are super confident in her and confident in the role that she plays on our team and know that she's going to be an integral part of our success."

The beginning of the season has been more strenuous for Hogan, who received a red card with 2:13 remaining in the Orange's Final Four matchup against the Terps. The violation sidelined the reigning IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year against Colgate, but the senior was in the cage for Syracuse in its two losses this year.

"She's good, she's really active and aggressive," Reese said. "She is a huge part of their team defense and we know that we need to be really precise and very accurate to put the ball away."

castello@umdbk.com