COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The University of Maryland women’s lacrosse team is back in a familiar spot in early May. They are back in the hunt for another conference championship.
Head coach Cathy Reese’s team is ranked 10th in the nation and is the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Terps topped seventh-seeded Ohio State 11-7 in Saturday’s quarterfinal. Next up they get the six seed, Rutgers, in Thursday’s semifinal in Columbus, Ohio.
It will be a rematch of last year’s conference title game, a game the Terrapins dominated, winning 18-8. They are no stranger to success when the lights are bright. The Terps have played in every Big Ten Tournament final since 2016. They've been crowned champs four times.
"Maryland women’s lacrosse kind of thrives in May. It’s like our favorite time of the year," said senior attacker Libby May. "We love when the pressure is on. That’s where we thrive the most."
"When it comes to May you appreciate every single moment you have together way more," added graduate defender Abby Bosco. "We’ve worked for this. It’s the most exciting time of the year."
"We work all season long," said Reese. "We play 17 regular season games and all of this is to grow and to get better so when we get to tournament time, you got to show up."
The Terps will try to show up just like the only time they faced Rutgers this season. They beat the Scarlet Knights 16-8 back in March.
Thursday’s game gets underway at 6:00 p.m. The winner advances to face either fourth-seeded Michigan or top-seeded Northwestern on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
