Fear the Turtle: Maryland Dominates James Madison 17-7

Maryland must not have appreciated all that discourse surrounding their No. 4 seed in the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament — because all the Terps have done since earning that seed is run roughshod through their first two opponents.

Maryland put together a thorough 17-7 win over James Madison on Sunday in College Park, scoring eight unanswered goals to begin the afternoon and held the Dukes scoreless for nearly the first 20 minutes.

It was a bit of sweet revenge for the Terps, whose season ended at the hands of James Madison in the second round a year ago. Now Maryland advances to the quarterfinals, to be played Thursday against Florida.

Eloise Clevenger joined Maryland royalty with her five-goal, three-assist performance, producing the most points in an NCAA tournament game for the Terps since Caroline Steele also had eight in the 2019 quarterfinals against Denver. Shaylan Ahearn ensured Clevenger and the offense could stay in control by winning 11 draws.

In what figured to be one of the most competitive pods in the bracket, Maryland disregarded the pundits — and the selection. committee. JMU’s win over Penn State was indeed a back-and-forth (the Dukes won 14-13), but the Terps throttled both first-round opponent Robert Morris and James Madison by a combined score of 34-8.

The only potential question mark entering the game was answered before the opening draw. Emily Sterling, who did not play in the first round due to an unspecified injury, suited up on Sunday and made six saves before Julia Hammerschlag came on in relief in the fourth quarter.

Sterling, a USA Lacrosse third-team All-American, will have her hands full in the quarterfinals against Florida, the top scoring offense in the nation.

But College Park in May has been a safe haven for Maryland in the Cathy Reese era. The Terps are 28-1 in the NCAA tournament at home under Reese, with the last loss coming in 2008.