2023 Women's Top 30: How Maryland Fared vs. Projections

Before USA Lacrosse Magazine looks ahead to what’s to come in 2024, our team of staff and contributors decided it was worth taking one last look at 2023.

After all, you have to look at the most recent results before making projections for what’s to come. To do that, we’re taking a journey through the top 30 teams in men’s and women’s lacrosse — what went right, what went wrong and what we should all think of that team’s season.

Was it a success? A failure? A mixture of both? You’ll find out our thoughts over the next month or so.

MARYLAND WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason/Final Top 20 Ranking: 2/11
2023 record: 15-7 (4-2 Big Ten)

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Maryland started slowly at 3-3, scuffling with a blowout loss to Syracuse and consecutive one-goal losses to James Madison and Denver. But the Terps figured it out beginning March 8, ripping off nine straight wins. The Terps scored at least 13 goals in each of those games after reaching that mark just three times in the first six games. That impressive turnaround included wins over Penn, Michigan and Johns Hopkins, all three of which were NCAA tournament teams. A February 25 win over Florida was likely also notable.

On an individual level, Shaylan Ahearn put together her best statistical season, winning Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honors after producing 22 goals, 16 assists, 17 ground balls, nine caused turnovers and 139 draw controls. Libby May (62 goals) paced the offense, and Eloise Clevenger came into her own as the team’s quarterback with 26 goals and 47 assists.

WHAT WENT WRONG

No one was ever truly going to fill the shoes of Aurora Cordingley, so perhaps that’s partly why the offense didn’t impress at times in the first six games — most notably in those consecutive losses to James Madison and Denver. Both of those teams possessed strong defenses, but Maryland fell 8-7 to both. The Terps stumbled in the final two games, losing 12-7 to Penn State and 13-6 to Northwestern, and finished 43rd nationally in scoring offense (12.86 goals per game).

The defense as a unit took a step back from its 2022 performance. Maryland finished 20th nationally, allowing 9.55 goals per game, but that number was skewed by limiting teams like William & Mary, Saint Joseph’s, Villanova and Georgetown. And Maryland is a team we typically associate with defense near the top of the country, too. For the first time since it entered the conference, Maryland did not produce the Big Ten defender of the year, and Emily Sterling took a step back after an otherworldly 2022 season.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT

The inconsistent season still yielded a win in the NCAA tournament, though the Maryland faithful certainly hoped for a deeper push. The Terps topped Drexel 11-6 and took James Madison to the brink in the second round, but the Dukes earned a 15-14 win.

VERDICT

It wasn’t necessarily surprising to see Maryland’s offense go through ebbs and flows, but the defense’s inconsistencies were unexpected — especially after adding Marge Donovan from Princeton. Ranked as the preseason No. 2, Maryland ended 2023 at No. 11. That’s great recognition for just about every other team in the nation, but not for a program like Maryland that expects more from itself.