Turned off by Terrapins: Rutgers women's lacrosse held to 8 goals against Maryland
The Rutgers women's lacrosse team fell to Maryland 13-8 on Sunday in College Park, Maryland. The Scarlet Knights (5-5, 0-3) were unable to generate the offense needed to win, facing their fourth consecutive loss of the season.
The Terrapins (9-1, 2-0) started the game on the attack quickly, scoring 3 straight goals to give them an early lead over Rutgers.
Graduate student midfielder Cassidy Spilis would finally put the Knights on the board, sneaking the ball into the top middle of the net at the 10:34 mark of the first period. But No. 2 Maryland responded with another goal almost immediately after Spilis scored.
Rutgers was shut out by the Terrapins in the remainder of the first quarter, as 2 more goals from Maryland gave it a 6-1 lead heading into the second.
The second quarter gave the Knights a chance to play catch up, as the Terrapins were unable to find the back of the net. Finding offensive power, Rutgers netted 2 goals early into the quarter.
Spilis came in hot scoring straight into the bottom of the net for the team's 2nd goal of the day. Slamming the ball into the cage, sophomore attacker Ava Kane contributed with another goal.
With 9:09 left in the quarter following Kane's goal, both teams went on a scoring drought, as Maryland led the Knights 6-3 going into halftime.
The Terrapins struck first with another goal to kickstart the third quarter. But Spilis responded and was prepared to help Rutgers make a push. Two goals from the midfielder held Maryland at an 8-5 advantage over the Knights.
Junior midfielder and attacker Michelle Warren converted a free position into a goal a few minutes later to cut Rutgers' deficit to only 2 goals.
With 1:58 left in the quarter, the Terrapins reached 10 goals, but Spilis answered with 1 more goal for the Knights with a second remaining before the buzzer.
While Maryland maintained its offensive dominance to win the game, Rutgers was unable to muster much of an offensive drive in the fourth quarter. The Knights saw their last goal of the game at the beginning of the quarter from freshman midfielder Payton Tini, causing Rutgers to finish with 8 goals on the scoresheet.
The Terrapins tacked on 3 more goals in the fourth quarter to end the game up 5 points over the Knights. Despite Rutgers' attempt to try to come back during the third quarter, the Knights struggled to find much ball control throughout the fourth quarter.
Hannah Leubecker and Libby May starred for Maryland as Leubecker found the twine for 6 scores with May scoring 3 goals of her own. On the other side, Spillis scored 5 goals to give her 41 on the season.
Rutgers will stay on the road next weekend and will travel to Evanston, Illinois, for a 6 p.m. game against Northwestern on Saturday.
For more updates on the Rutgers women's lacrosse team, follow @TargumSports on X.
