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COLLEGE PARK — Three years ago as a freshman on the Johns Hopkins women’s lacrosse team, Reagan O’Brien developed a reputation as a tough-nosed defender who wasn’t shy about inflicting pain. Among her teammates, she earned the nickname “The Boston Bruiser” — an ode to her roots to Charlestown, Massachusetts.
In Wednesday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal, O’Brien dished out some punishment by racking up a near double-double in caused turnovers and ground balls while propelling the No. 5 seed Blue Jays to a 13-8 victory over No. 4 seed Penn State at the University of Maryland’s Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.
Johns Hopkins (12-5) advanced to Friday’s semifinal at 5 p.m. for the second year in a row. The team will meet No. 1 seed Northwestern (14-2), which enjoyed a bye.
O’Brien, an All-Big Ten first-team selection, was spectacular, accumulating 10 caused turnovers and eight ground balls — both career highs. Paired with an 11-save outing by junior goalkeeper Morgan Giardina, the junior defender helped the defense force the Nittany Lions into committing 26 turnovers, slipping into droughts of 9:13, 8:10, 12:07, 10:40 and 9:03, and scoring more than three goals below their season average of 11.6.
O’Brien, who starts next to senior and older sister Quinlan, credited her teammates for helping her enjoy a breakout performance.
“Without them, I couldn’t do anything,” she said. “Defense, offense, midfield, we work together as a unit. Every day at practice, when we all have the opportunity to wear the same color, we’re just working together. We all work together as a team, and they’re the reason behind my success.”
It was left to Blue Jays coach Tim McCormack to sing O’Brien’s praises.
“We’ve seen it all year,” he said. “Shows up and does what she does best. She’s going to make whoever is near feel her presence for 60 minutes. … Unbelievable consistency and effort and energy. Just pushing people to be the best versions of themselves as she strives to do the same.”
The defensive showing allowed the offense to gain some footing. After taking a 5-3 lead at halftime, Johns Hopkins outscored the Nittany Lions, 8-5, in the second half.
Sophomore attacker Taylor Hoss led all players with four assists and six points, junior attacker Ava Angello amassed two goals and three assists, and senior midfielder Charlotte Smith, a Baltimore resident and Bryn Mawr graduate, compiled one goal and two assists.
Six different players scored two goals each, including sophomore midfielder Samantha DiCarlo and graduate student midfielder Megan Kielbasa. The offense assisted on 10 of the 13 goals, which was the kind of balance the Blue Jays prioritize.
The offense’s success occurred against Penn State sophomore goalie Sydney Manning, who turned aside 12 shots in a 12-11 overtime win by Johns Hopkins on April 16. Manning made 12 stops again, but Hoss said three combined goals by DiCarlo and Kielbasa that staked the team to a 4-1 lead in the game’s first 16 minutes helped settle the unit.
“I think Sam DiCarlo, credit to her and Megan Kielbasa for starting us off strong,” Hoss said. “Sometimes it’s difficult to get going. I give credit to the Penn State goalie. She had our numbers in the last game when we played her, and that was a big emphasis — finish the ball. I think sticking a few in the beginning was really helpful for us.”
The Nittany Lions (7-9) were led by the junior attack duo of Erika Ho (two goals and one assist) and Payton Wainman (one goal and two assists). Ho, another All-Big Ten first-team choice who is just the third player in program history to control 100 draws in a single year, finished with six to raise her season total to 112.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights defender Madison Karpe covers Maryland Terrapins attacker Chrissy Thomas during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Maryland Terrapins defender Maddy Sterling, above and Rutgers Scarlet Knights midfielder Ava Chiarella. Crash into the Terrapins sidelines during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Having beaten Rutgers Scarlet Knights defender Charlee Thomas, Maryland Terrapins midfielder Devin Livingston scores on goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Maryland Terrapins women's lacrosse head coach Cathy Reese looks on during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Maryland Terrapins goalkeeper JJ Suriano eludes Rutgers Scarlet Knights attacker Lily Dixon during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Rutgers Scarlet Knights goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron blocks a shot by Maryland Terrapins attacker Kate Sites while defender Lauren Messinese covers during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Players hold their sticks high during player introductions for the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) A shot bounces above Maryland Terrapins goalkeeper JJ Suriano’s head for an 8M score by Rutgers Scarlet Knights attacker Lily Dixon during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Maryland Terrapins defender Mae Marshall and defender Fallon George sandwich Rutgers Scarlet Knights midfielder Kayleigh Coughlin as all converge on a loose ball, drawing a Terps penalty during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays attack Campbell Case, center celebrates her goal with attacks Ava Angello and Charlotte Smith #34 as Penn State Nittany Lions midfielder Maggie Rezza, right turns away during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays defender Reagan O'Brien covers Penn State Nittany Lions midfielder Brooke Long during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Penn State Nittany Lions defender Maggie Golder gets charged for checking Johns Hopkins Blue Jays midfielder Lacey Downey, who tumbles to the turf while passing to midfielder Samantha DiCarlo during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays attack Ava Angello pressures Penn State Nittany Lions goalie Sydney Manning who backs toward her goal during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays goalie Morgan Giardina leaps for a shot as midfielder Annie Marshall and Penn State Nittany Lions attack Ally Lipkin watch during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays women’s lacrosse head coach Tim McCormack during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Penn State Nittany Lions goalie Sydney Manning stretches to save a Johns Hopkins Blue Jays shot during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Show Caption1 of 17Cutting past Rutgers Scarlet Knights defender Emalie Clothier, Maryland Terrapins attacker Kate Sites gets checked by defender Charlee Thomas during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)Expand
For 43 minutes, the underdog Scarlet Knights kept pace with the Terps until the latter used a stretch of four unanswered goals bridging the third and fourth quarters to pull away.
Maryland (13-4) advanced to its ninth tournament semifinal in the past 10 full years of competition. The team will face the winner of a later quarterfinal between No. 3 seed Michigan (11-5) and No. 6 seed USC (10-6) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The one time the Terps did not play in the semifinals? A year ago when they, the No. 3 seed at the time, were stunned by No. 6 seed Rutgers, 9-8. That result weighed heavily on the players.
The Scarlet Knights seemed poised to replicate last spring’s shocker by scoring the game’s first two goals. Even after Maryland replied with four consecutive tallies to assume a 4-2 lead, Rutgers answered with three straight goals, and the Terps had to outscore the Scarlet Knights, 3-1, to take a 7-6 lead into halftime.
After the sides exchanged two goals in the third quarter, Maryland erupted for four consecutive goals in a 4:32 span over the last two periods to inflate its advantage to 13-9. When Rutgers halved the deficit with two goals in 2:24, the Terps pushed back with four straight tallies in a 3:40 stretch to cement the victory.
Maryland junior midfielder Kori Edmondson led all players with game highs in goals (four), points (five) and draw controls (six). Sophomore attacker Lauren LaPointe added three goals and one assist, freshman midfielder Devin Livingston scored three times, and graduate student attacker Chrissy Thomas chipped in two goals and one assist.
Junior defender Neve O’Farrell accrued two caused turnovers and two ground balls, and senior defender Sophie Halus scooped up four ground balls. Filling in for freshman draw specialist Kayla Gilmore, senior Hailey Russo controlled five draws.
Senior attacker Alexa Corbin sparked the Scarlet Knights (8-10) with three goals and one assist. Graduate student goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron, a Pylesville resident and North Harford graduate, made a game-best 13 saves.
Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
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In Wednesday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal, O’Brien dished out some punishment by racking up a near double-double in caused turnovers and ground balls while propelling the No. 5 seed Blue Jays to a 13-8 victory over No. 4 seed Penn State at the University of Maryland’s Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.
Johns Hopkins (12-5) advanced to Friday’s semifinal at 5 p.m. for the second year in a row. The team will meet No. 1 seed Northwestern (14-2), which enjoyed a bye.
O’Brien, an All-Big Ten first-team selection, was spectacular, accumulating 10 caused turnovers and eight ground balls — both career highs. Paired with an 11-save outing by junior goalkeeper Morgan Giardina, the junior defender helped the defense force the Nittany Lions into committing 26 turnovers, slipping into droughts of 9:13, 8:10, 12:07, 10:40 and 9:03, and scoring more than three goals below their season average of 11.6.
O’Brien, who starts next to senior and older sister Quinlan, credited her teammates for helping her enjoy a breakout performance.
“Without them, I couldn’t do anything,” she said. “Defense, offense, midfield, we work together as a unit. Every day at practice, when we all have the opportunity to wear the same color, we’re just working together. We all work together as a team, and they’re the reason behind my success.”
It was left to Blue Jays coach Tim McCormack to sing O’Brien’s praises.
“We’ve seen it all year,” he said. “Shows up and does what she does best. She’s going to make whoever is near feel her presence for 60 minutes. … Unbelievable consistency and effort and energy. Just pushing people to be the best versions of themselves as she strives to do the same.”
The defensive showing allowed the offense to gain some footing. After taking a 5-3 lead at halftime, Johns Hopkins outscored the Nittany Lions, 8-5, in the second half.
Sophomore attacker Taylor Hoss led all players with four assists and six points, junior attacker Ava Angello amassed two goals and three assists, and senior midfielder Charlotte Smith, a Baltimore resident and Bryn Mawr graduate, compiled one goal and two assists.
Six different players scored two goals each, including sophomore midfielder Samantha DiCarlo and graduate student midfielder Megan Kielbasa. The offense assisted on 10 of the 13 goals, which was the kind of balance the Blue Jays prioritize.
The offense’s success occurred against Penn State sophomore goalie Sydney Manning, who turned aside 12 shots in a 12-11 overtime win by Johns Hopkins on April 16. Manning made 12 stops again, but Hoss said three combined goals by DiCarlo and Kielbasa that staked the team to a 4-1 lead in the game’s first 16 minutes helped settle the unit.
“I think Sam DiCarlo, credit to her and Megan Kielbasa for starting us off strong,” Hoss said. “Sometimes it’s difficult to get going. I give credit to the Penn State goalie. She had our numbers in the last game when we played her, and that was a big emphasis — finish the ball. I think sticking a few in the beginning was really helpful for us.”
The Nittany Lions (7-9) were led by the junior attack duo of Erika Ho (two goals and one assist) and Payton Wainman (one goal and two assists). Ho, another All-Big Ten first-team choice who is just the third player in program history to control 100 draws in a single year, finished with six to raise her season total to 112.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights defender Madison Karpe covers Maryland Terrapins attacker Chrissy Thomas during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Maryland Terrapins defender Maddy Sterling, above and Rutgers Scarlet Knights midfielder Ava Chiarella. Crash into the Terrapins sidelines during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Having beaten Rutgers Scarlet Knights defender Charlee Thomas, Maryland Terrapins midfielder Devin Livingston scores on goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Maryland Terrapins women's lacrosse head coach Cathy Reese looks on during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Maryland Terrapins goalkeeper JJ Suriano eludes Rutgers Scarlet Knights attacker Lily Dixon during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Rutgers Scarlet Knights goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron blocks a shot by Maryland Terrapins attacker Kate Sites while defender Lauren Messinese covers during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Players hold their sticks high during player introductions for the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) A shot bounces above Maryland Terrapins goalkeeper JJ Suriano’s head for an 8M score by Rutgers Scarlet Knights attacker Lily Dixon during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Maryland Terrapins defender Mae Marshall and defender Fallon George sandwich Rutgers Scarlet Knights midfielder Kayleigh Coughlin as all converge on a loose ball, drawing a Terps penalty during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays attack Campbell Case, center celebrates her goal with attacks Ava Angello and Charlotte Smith #34 as Penn State Nittany Lions midfielder Maggie Rezza, right turns away during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays defender Reagan O'Brien covers Penn State Nittany Lions midfielder Brooke Long during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Penn State Nittany Lions defender Maggie Golder gets charged for checking Johns Hopkins Blue Jays midfielder Lacey Downey, who tumbles to the turf while passing to midfielder Samantha DiCarlo during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays attack Ava Angello pressures Penn State Nittany Lions goalie Sydney Manning who backs toward her goal during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays goalie Morgan Giardina leaps for a shot as midfielder Annie Marshall and Penn State Nittany Lions attack Ally Lipkin watch during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays women’s lacrosse head coach Tim McCormack during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Penn State Nittany Lions goalie Sydney Manning stretches to save a Johns Hopkins Blue Jays shot during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Show Caption1 of 17Cutting past Rutgers Scarlet Knights defender Emalie Clothier, Maryland Terrapins attacker Kate Sites gets checked by defender Charlee Thomas during the Big Ten women’s lacrosse tournament at the University of Maryland. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)Expand
No. 2 seed Maryland outlasts Rutgers, 17-11
For 43 minutes, the underdog Scarlet Knights kept pace with the Terps until the latter used a stretch of four unanswered goals bridging the third and fourth quarters to pull away.
Maryland (13-4) advanced to its ninth tournament semifinal in the past 10 full years of competition. The team will face the winner of a later quarterfinal between No. 3 seed Michigan (11-5) and No. 6 seed USC (10-6) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The one time the Terps did not play in the semifinals? A year ago when they, the No. 3 seed at the time, were stunned by No. 6 seed Rutgers, 9-8. That result weighed heavily on the players.
The Scarlet Knights seemed poised to replicate last spring’s shocker by scoring the game’s first two goals. Even after Maryland replied with four consecutive tallies to assume a 4-2 lead, Rutgers answered with three straight goals, and the Terps had to outscore the Scarlet Knights, 3-1, to take a 7-6 lead into halftime.
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After the sides exchanged two goals in the third quarter, Maryland erupted for four consecutive goals in a 4:32 span over the last two periods to inflate its advantage to 13-9. When Rutgers halved the deficit with two goals in 2:24, the Terps pushed back with four straight tallies in a 3:40 stretch to cement the victory.
Maryland junior midfielder Kori Edmondson led all players with game highs in goals (four), points (five) and draw controls (six). Sophomore attacker Lauren LaPointe added three goals and one assist, freshman midfielder Devin Livingston scored three times, and graduate student attacker Chrissy Thomas chipped in two goals and one assist.
Junior defender Neve O’Farrell accrued two caused turnovers and two ground balls, and senior defender Sophie Halus scooped up four ground balls. Filling in for freshman draw specialist Kayla Gilmore, senior Hailey Russo controlled five draws.
Senior attacker Alexa Corbin sparked the Scarlet Knights (8-10) with three goals and one assist. Graduate student goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron, a Pylesville resident and North Harford graduate, made a game-best 13 saves.
Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
Continue reading...
