US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 8. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com throughout January and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition that mails to US Lacrosse members Feb. 1 — opening day of the 2018 college lacrosse season.

No. 1 Maryland

2017 Record: 23-0 (6-0 Big Ten)
Coach: Cathy Reese (12^th year)

All-Time Record: 690-134-3
NCAA Appearances: 33
NCAA Final Fours: 25
NCAA Championships: 13

For the sport’s most storied program, it’s hard to picture them as the hunter as opposed to the hunted. But that was the case for Maryland entering 2017 following the graduation of three-time Tewaaraton winner Taylor Cummings and stud defender Alice Mercer.

“That was two huge players to lose and you don’t know how things are going to take shape,” said Maryland head coach Cathy Reese. “But that group went on to be an undefeated national champion.”

Maryland once again has heavy losses, Tewaaraton winner Zoey Stukenberg and Tewaaraton finalist Nadine Hadnagy chief among them, but the Terps are the odds-on favorite to repeat.

Leading scorer Megan Whittle is back from a team that led the country with nearly 17 goals per game. Jen Giles is back after a breakout 73-point season, 50-goal scorers Kali Hartshorn and Caroline Steele are back. And if that’s not enough, the Terps have added Louisville transfer Meghan Siverson, a third-team All-American after scoring 55 goals and leading the Cardinals with 91 draw controls.

And we haven’t even started to talk about one of Maryland’s most important players.

Megan Taylor is entering her third year in goal for the Terps and coming off the best season for a Maryland goalie in recent memory. Taylor had a 53.5 save percentage to rank third nationally, and came up big early in the season as a relatively young squad got its footing.

Taylor had double-digit saves in six of her first nine games, including stellar performances against top-flight competition in Syracuse (18 saves) and Florida (20 saves). It was a vastly different challenge for Taylor as compared to her freshmen year, when opponents averaged just 17.9 shots per game.

Reese was happy to see Taylor answer the call, but knew things had to change.

“It forced us defensively to focus on limiting the number of shots she was facing,” Reese said. “We had to be better as a defense.”

Maryland did improve in the second half of the season defensively, but Taylor still stepped up in big games. She had 16 saves in the Big Ten championship win over Northwestern and made 12 saves in the NCAA final against Boston College.

Taylor will play behind a seasoned defense that returns three starters — Julia Braig, Meghan Doherty, and Alex McKay — and a rising star in Lizzie Colson. Colson played outstanding while filling in for an injured McKay during the NCAA tournament. The Terps also added Syracuse transfer Kathy Rudkin, a starter for the Orange last season.

The Case For Maryland

Maryland has a track record of reloading, and that certainly appears to be the case this season. In addition to the two key transfers in Meghan Siverson (Louisville) and Kathy Rudkin (Syracuse), the Terps welcome an outstanding freshman class that includes Laurie Bracey, Grace Griffin and Catie May.  You also can’t overlook the Terps’ track record of turning role players into stars when they get more playing time. That was certainly the case with Jen Giles, who went from 30 points as a freshman to 73 points as a sophomore. Expect a similar bump for Brindi Griffin this year. The former U.S. U19 player had 17 goals as a freshman.

The Case Against Maryland

Over the last five seasons Maryland has lost a combined total of four games, so it’s just about impossible to imagine a scenario where the Terps aren’t in the national title discussion. The biggest obstacle Maryland faces is a brutally tough early-season schedule. Five of the first eight games are on the road at Florida, North Carolina, Syracuse, Johns Hopkins and Penn.

Path to the Playoffs

Maryland will be the favorite once again in the Big Ten, with Penn State and Northwestern its biggest challengers. The non-conference schedule includes a Feb. 24 showdown with North Carolina. The teams have combined to win the last five NCAA titles. The Terps defeated the Tar Heels 13-10 in College Park last February.

Players To Watch

Megan Taylor, G, Jr.
53.5 SV%, 9.43 GAA

A young defense forced Taylor to step up early and she more than responded, ranking third in the country in save percentage. Entering her third year as a starter, she’s the best in the country at her position.

Megan Whittle, A, Sr.
71 G, 162 Shots

Whittle scored 71 goals to lead Maryland’s NCAA-leading offense despite facing tons of attention from opponents’ defenses. She had a career-high 16 assists, as she continues to evolve as a complete offensive force.

Kali Hartshorn, A, Soph.
58 G, 112 DC

Hartshorn, the Big Ten Rookie of the Year, made an immediate impact, ranking second on Maryland with 58 goals and added a team-leading 112 draw controls. In the final four, she rose to the occasion with six goals and 16 draw controls.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Defense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Draw
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

267

The legendary Jen Adams holds Maryland’s all-time record with 267 career goals. If Megan Whittle keeps up her current pace, she’ll surpass Adams. Whittle enters the year with 214 goals.

5-Year Trend
Scoring Offense

Coach Confidential
Cathy Reese

“We’re not last year’s team. You have a tendency to put a lot of pressure on yourself, but we just need to continue to remind ourselves to work every day to get better.”  

Enemy Lines
Rival Coaches

"Another year, another group of talented Terps. Stick work continues to set the highest standard. Disciplined defense that doesn’t swing the hatchet and foul like crazy is impressive. They are still Maryland and fast as ever. Maryland is able to reload each year regardless of whom they graduate. Megan Taylor and Megan Whittle will be a force. Maryland is Maryland, a final four lock. Holds the No. 1 spot until someone proves they can knock them off. Returning a lot of their power from last year. Always a consistent and talented team. Lost some glue players but returning champ is the champ. Even with big losses to graduation, they still are great in goal and have Whittle on offense. Reigning champion with plenty of players returning. ... They do a great job of recruiting in-state kids, and they have more depth than most of us have. That depth is there for practices and I think people overlook that. Cathy and her staff do a great job of developing them, and it really is a next man up for them. They do a really good job of playing against zones and that helped them tremendously in the Stony Brook game. ...You’re playing the best in Maryland. Talent returns to play. Cathy does an unbelievable job creating an amazing team every year. ... They reload every year. What they did last year with the group they had after graduating the previous class was really impressive. They’re pretty tough to top. ... They look faster than I’ve seen them. They were so fast. The non-stop on the whistle accentuates it."