Spring Break
Hot second half isn't enough for women's lax
Hopkins rally isn't enough to catch up to Maryland; loss ends Blue Jays' eight-game winning streak and quest for perfection
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Unseating a perennial powerhouse is never easy. The women's lacrosse team, intent on adding another crucial victory to their tour de force of a season, clashed with Division I juggernaut University of Maryland last Sunday, dropping a 14-11 decision.
"It was a game that was in our reach and that we should have won," junior attacker Mary Key said. "It is definitely disappointing, and we're looking to bounce back."
After climbing the polls nearly every week during the season, the Blue Jays slipped this week to No. 5 in the Bounce Entertainment/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, while Maryland surged to the No. 4 slot. Duke University ended Northwestern's stranglehold atop the poll by snapping the Wildcats' 31-game win streak.
In all seven contests between the two programs, the Terrapins have outplayed the Blue Jays winning all seven victories.
The Blue Jays, hoping to alleviate the burden of recent history, took to the field with their highest-ranked team ever, slotted at No. 2 in the nation opposite the No. 7 Terrapins.
"We don't have the best history with Maryland," junior attacker Sarah Walsh said. "At the same time, we understand that we have a lot to learn and that we need to take everything out of this game and turn it into a positive."
Maryland established their offense quickly, sprinting to a 2-0 lead with goals by junior attacker Krista Pellizzi and junior midfielder Katie Doolittle, both of whom finished the contest with four goals apiece.
The Blue Jays scored their first goal of the day when sophomore midfielder Kirby Houck recovered the rebound off of a free-position shot from senior attacker Meagan Voight and rifled it into the Terrapin net.
But Maryland countered when a sprinting Pellizzi found sophomore attacker Katie Princiotto for a score in transition to reestablish a two-goal edge.
After securing possession on the next draw, the Blue Jays caught the Maryland defense out of position and seized the opportunity with a score by Walsh off of a feed from Key. "We got a really quick draw and the ball went to Mary [Key]," Walsh said. "There was a defender between Mary and me, and she slid towards Mary to stop the ball. Mary threw me a great pass and I shot around the goalie."
But the optimism was short-lived. The Terrapins broke open the tight-knit affair with a game-defining five-goal barrage. Goals by Terrapins Pellizzi, Doolittle, sophomore midfielder Kelly Kasper and senior midfielder Delia Cox supplied all the punch for the five-goal run.
Hopkins head coach Janine Tucker pulled starting senior goalie Lauren Riddick for freshman Amelia Harris following Maryland's huge run to spark a lackluster Blue Jay defense. Seconds later, Harris made a spectacular save and stoned a stunned sophomore midfielder Casey Magor at point-blank range.
Surprisingly, it was the Blue Jay offense that returned to form following Harris' sensational stop. Houck found an open Key cutting towards the cage and Key delivered to bring the Blue Jays within five.
Following Pellizzi's third goal of the afternoon, sophomore midfielder Lauren Schwarzmann scooped the ball off of an errant Terrapin pass and connected on a shot to close all scoring at the half. The Terrapins led at the half, 9-4.
The teams traded goals to open the half, with scores from Hopkins' Key and Maryland's Princiotto and Doolittle. Walsh, who had a game-high four assists on the day, assisted both of Key's goals, the first of which featured a highlight-reel worthy behind-the-back score from Key.
"We were running a set play," Key said. "I got a pick and was able to get a step on my defender. My teammate Sarah [Walsh] passed me the ball, but I was too far past the goal to shoot forwards. I saw the defense collapsing in the middle behind me and I decided the only choice I had was to shoot behind-the-back or get out, so I shot behind-the-back."
The Blue Jays rolled into the final minutes of the game with four-goal burst, powered by Key, Walsh and sophomore midfielder Kadie Stamper and sophomore attacker Annie Wagner. The Blue Jay deficit was cut to one.
Maryland scored twice to steady their lead before Stamper scored the last Blue Jay goal. The Terrapins' Doolittle scored with 35 seconds left to close the game at 14-11.
"We just dug ourselves too big of a hole in the first half," Walsh said. "In the second half, little mistakes ended up taking the game from us."
The Blue Jays will face off against UMBC on Wednesday before traveling to play Delaware the following week.
"I think we just need to settle down and get our feet under us," Key added. "We just need to capitalize on the opportunities and make fewer mistakes."