US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 2. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com through the end of the month and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition in February. 

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No. 2 Maryland

2018 Record: 20-2 (6-0 Big Ten)
Coach: Cathy Reese (13^th year at Maryland)

All-Time Record: 710-136-3
NCAA Appearances: 34
Final Fours: 26
Championships: 13

Cathy Reese isn’t going to get much sympathy from her coaching colleagues, but the reality is that the bar has been set so high at Maryland that it almost seems as if anything other than winning a national championship is a failure.

“It does start to feel that way,” Reese said. “Last year we lost two games, won our conference championship and made it to the final four, but that last game always stings for any coach.”

Maryland’s 2018 season ended with a 14-plus minute scoring drought in the NCAA semifinals as Boston College scored the final two goals to post a 15-13 victory in a game in which Maryland jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the opening eight minutes.

That ending certainly stung, but Reese’s success has been built on both amazing talent and a family-like culture that worries less about other people’s expectations and more about their own aspirations.

Maryland, in 2019, is very much a threat to get back to the top of the pecking order.

“We have people who are really motivated, a bunch of players who are really hungry,” Reese said. “Most importantly, they love the sport and love the team. Our chemistry is good.”

Maryland was uncharacteristically young last season — starting just three seniors and only two that had been with the program for four years. Replacing all-time leading scorer Megan Whittle will be tough, but this is a very deep Maryland team that also welcomes an impact transfer in senior Erica Evans, who rewrote Canisius’ record book before sitting out the 2018 season following an ACL injury.

Evans will boost a midfield that already includes First Team All-American Jen Giles, an 83-point scorer last year, and Grace Griffin, who scored 30 goals as the Terps top freshman last year. Megan Siverson, a Third Team All-American at Louisville in 2017, figures to settle into an even bigger role this year after notching 23 goals and 63 draw controls in her first year at Maryland. Freshman Hannah Glaros, the younger sister of former Terp All-American Beth Glaros, should be a factor in the midfield as well.

Siverson and Kali Hartshorn (139 draw controls) helped the Terps dominate possession by winning over 60 percent of its draws, and they’ll continue to be a strength on the circle.

Whittle and classmate Taylor Hensh combined for 119 goals last season, but Maryland has plenty of returning weapons on attack with Second Team All-American Caroline Steele (59 goals), Hartshorn (38 goals), Brindi Griffin (21 goals), and freshman Julia Hoffman, an All-Metro player from national power McDonogh, all figuring into the mix.

On the defensive end, Maryland should be very stout. Senior goalie Megan Taylor is in her fourth year as a starter. She was the nation’s top goalie in 2017 and had another very solid season last year with a save percentage near 48 percent. She’ll play behind an experienced defensive unit that includes three returning starters — Julia Bragg, Lizzie Colson and Meghan Doherty. Bragg was a First Team All-American and Colson earned Third Team honors.

The Case For Maryland

Maryland has won four national championships this decade, and three of the last five NCAA titles. They’ve played in three other NCAA titles games since 2011. That track record, and the return of experienced players all over the field makes Maryland one of the prime contenders to bring home a national championship.

The Case Against Maryland

Six seasons, six losses…total. Maryland has averaged just one loss per season over the last six years, so there is no case against Maryland. The Terps will be in the national championship hunt, but you can’t just sweep the loss of Megan Whittle under the rug. She finished her career with a school record 298 goals, breaking the mark of the legendary Jen Adams. Her 84 goals last year was 25 more than any other player on the team. Replacing her offense is a legitimate challenge.

Path to the Playoffs

Maryland hasn’t lost a regular season Big Ten conference game since joining the league in 2015. Northwestern appears to be on the rise and Penn State will always be a challenge, but the Terps will be the odds-on favorite to claim the Big Ten’s automatic berth to the NCAA championship.

Players To Watch

Jen Giles, M, Sr.
52 G, 31 A, 14 CT

Giles can score – her 83 points last season is the top number for returning Terps – but she can also make her presence felt in the middle of the field. Giles was second on the team with 38 ground balls last year and also had 14 caused turnovers.

Megan Taylor, G, Sr.
47.4 Save Pct, 9.94 GAA

Entering her fourth year as a starter, Taylor is among the best to ever suit up for the Terps in goal. She’s a three-time Big Ten Goaltender of the Year and was the IWLCA National Goaltender of the Year in 2017. In three NCAA playoff games last year, she combined for 38 saves.

Erica Evans, M, Sr.
76 G, 32 A (at Canisius in 2017)

For the second year in a row Maryland has landed an impact transfer. Megan Siverson came to the Terps last year after earning All-America honors at Louisville, and Evans comes to College Park from Canisius after sitting out 2018 with an injury. She was a two-time All-American as a do-everything player at Canisius and set the school record with 186 goals in her three seasons.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Defense
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Draw
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

41.5

Maryland’s shooting percentage in live-ball situations last year, a sharp decline from a 48.7 percent rate during its national championship season in 2017. The Terps were much more effective on free position shots, leading the nation with 105 free position goals and ranking sixth in FP shooting percentage (50.7).

5-Year Trend
Scoring Offense

Coach Confidential
Cathy Reese

On Erica Evans: “She’s a great two-way middie who is learning how we play defense here. In the fall, she was still coming back from an ACL injury and was at a new school as a senior player. It was fun to watch her get more confident.”

Enemy Lines

"They are very dynamic across the board. I think they’re going to be strong. They return some great talent on the offensive end, they return their goalie and they had some players who were freshmen who made impacts who will be really dynamic for them this year. I think they’ll be very strong."

"Maryland is a tough team to play with. They have so many threats. They’re just very athletic."