Women's lacrosse doesn't let history repeat itself vs. Dukes

The Terrapin women's lacrosse team spent all of 30 seconds rehashing last year's trip to James Madison in preparation for this weekend's rematch.

A season ago in Harrisonburg, Va., the Terps had their undefeated record put on life support when they fell behind by three goals early, faced a halftime deficit and relied on a backup goalie for an eventual comeback.

But coach Cathy Reese rarely feels the need to bring up the past. So Saturday, the No. 1 Terps focused on playing their own game, and a commanding 17-8 victory against the No. 10 Dukes promptly followed.

Terp midfielder Laura Merrifield quickly dispelled any notions of a result like last year's by notching three goals in the game's first four minutes. Using her long frame, Merrifield elevated several times over shorter defenders and powered in bounce shots past James Madison goalkeeper Alex Menghetti.

The Terps (10-0) built a 7-1 lead before the Dukes managed any semblance of offense.

"It was a close game last year, and we wanted to make sure it didn't happen again," attacker Sarah Mollison said. "It was a goal coming out to play our game, play hard, stick our shots and not have a close game."

The Terps displayed the stout defense and efficient offense that were absent for much of last year's game with the Dukes. Much of the difference Saturday came in front of the cage with goalie Brittany Dipper. Last year, the then-sophomore allowed five goals on six shots in the first half before being replaced by backup Mary Jordan, who led the comeback victory.

This time around, Dipper and a strong backline stymied the Dukes (6-2) long enough for the Terp offense to stake a sizable lead. The junior goalie finished with eight saves and didn't allow James Madison to close within four goals for the final 37 minutes.

The Dukes failed to convert any of their five free-position shots, while the Terps went 4-for-7.

"Our defense definitely played strong," defender Katie Gallagher said. "We had a few lapses. We came back in the end. As you can see on the scoreboard, I think we did a great job."

"Dip had some great saves. [Defender] Iliana [Sanza] had some great knockdowns. Katie Gallagher played great and [defender] Brittany Poist played one of her best games of the season so far," Reese said. "Overall, our defense was helping each other out."

Reese also continued to get balanced production from her offense, led by Merrifield and Mollison. Along with a pair of goals, Mollison registered four assists to move to No. 6 on the Terps' all-time list (102). She has a team-high 27 on the season.

"I'm just glad my teammates can shoot," Mollison said. "I just play for my teammates. I don't care about assists. I don't care about goals. I just care about my team."

The victory capped a six-day, three-game spring break slate during which the Terps outscored their opponents, 56-22. In that stretch, six players scored six goals or more, while four others had at least two.

"Anyone can score," Mollison said. "So good luck to other teams."

ceckard@umdbk.com