'Gritty' Terps Followed Senior Class Back to Final Four

EVANSTON, Ill. — There is a special bond between Maryland head coach Cathy Reese and the group of 12 now-outgoing players who helped lift the Terps back to championship weekend for the first time since 2022.

That connection was on full display about 30 minutes following the Terps’ 16-6 loss to North Carolina in the NCAA semifinals at Northwestern’s Martin Stadium. The first question posed to senior midfielder Kori Edmondson was regarding how Edmondson was among those who pushed Maryland back to the sport’s biggest stage.

Edmondson called it an honor. Then she shifted gears.

“It's an honor to play with Cathy,” she said. “She's one of the most inspirational people in my life. She's shown me what it means to be a role model and a leader. I'm forever grateful to help get this team back to a final four.”

Edmondson’s senior class would have been only the third to go their four years in College Park without a semifinal appearance since the NCAA tournament started in 1983. But it’s not as if there was no big-game experience on the roster.

Outside of countless trips to Big Ten championship games that the entire roster has experienced over the years, Maddy Sterling, Jordyn Lipkin and Kennedy Major were all present on the 2022 roster. Graduate students in 2026, they were integral in sharing what they learned from their freshmen campaigns.

“I'm just grateful for what these guys have given to this program, the effort that they put in, the memories that they have made,” Reese said. “This has been such a fun season for us as coaches.”

This was team was far from the dominant Maryland squads of the 2010s. The Terps scrapped. They battled. They came back from deficits and held off rallies.

“We won gritty games,” Reese said. “It wasn't always pretty. But the grind and fight that these guys had was really special.”

It looked like that fight could give North Carolina a run for its money Friday night. Maryland shook off a three-goal run by the Tar Heels in the first quarter to knot things at 3. They recovered again to slow a UNC spurt, cutting the deficit to 9-5 when Edmondson scored on her only shot attempt of the evening.

That, though, was the final bright spot for Maryland, as North Carolina caught fire and ran away with the game in the second half.

It was easy to point to a cause — turnovers. Constant pressure between the 30s aided UNC’s advantages on turnovers (15-7) and ground balls (17-4). Few clear attempts went uncontested, even as UNC’s depth entered the game in its later stages.

“It's tough when you have not been in the final four to see what it's like when we get here,” Reese said. “I remember when we came here in 2009, just that energy, the environment, just the level and the hype around all of it, and so I think it's just so great for a lot of these younger players to see and have that experience, and I know that that will fuel their fire to be ready to rock and roll when we get back in September.”

Edmondson, though, won’t be back. A transformative player as the No. 1 recruit in her class who only wanted go to Maryland and play for Reese, she wiped tears away to deliver a poignant message, one she said she’s shared with those players who will come back and continue the Terps’ legacy.

“[What’s so special is] the love,” Edmondson said. “If you watch all of our games, the celebrations, it's simply the love for the person to the left or right of us. That's what's gotten us to the final four, and that's what's going to continue getting this team farther.”

The cupboard isn’t bare in College Park. Maryland will return All-American goalie JJ Suriano, who made 11 saves against North Carolina, and breakout attacker Lauren LaPointe, who scored twice, as well as draw specialist Kayla Gilmore, among others.

It’ll be up to them to assist Maryland in ending its national championship drought. The Terps last won a title in 2019.

“Losing sucks and no one is happy, but yet the journey we've been on and the process we've been blessed to be a part of is something that's really special,” Reese said. “And can't say enough great things about these guys, and especially Kori, moving forward.”