No. 4 Syracuse women's lacrosse faces another tough test in No. 2 Maryland

No. 4 Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) looks to extend its winning streak at home against No. 2 Maryland (1-0, 0-0 Big 10 Conference) on Friday at 3:00 p.m. After a gritty win over then-No. 4 Northwestern last Saturday, the schedule gets even tougher for SU.

The Orange enter Friday's contest with some new accolades. On Tuesday, attacker Meaghan Tyrrell was named the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association and Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week. The graduate student finished her regular-season opener with eight points, including the go-ahead assist to her sister, Emma Tyrrell.

Like Northwestern, Maryland is also an offensive juggernaut. Under head coach Cathy Reese, the Terrapins finished eighth in the country last season, scoring an average of 16.1 goals per game. That squad made it to the NCAA Tournament semifinals, where it lost to Boston College. The Terps will be without last year's leading scorer, graduate transfer Aurora Cordingley, who joined the team from Johns Hopkins a year prior. All eyes will turn to Libby May, an Inside Lacrosse Preseason Third Team All-American on the 2023 Tewaaraton Watch List.

While UMD might come into the Salt City with an identical record, its first game was against an unformidable foe in St. Joseph's. Attacker Chrissy Thomas and midfielder Jordyn Lipkin each tallied three goals in the Terps' 15-5 win over the Hawks last weekend. On Friday, they'll be tested against Syracuse goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer, who logged 11 saves against a highly touted Northwestern team.

This will be the first matchup between the two teams in nearly three seasons. On February 29, 2020, the Orange went down to College Park and beat the Terrapins 10-5, improving their record to 6-1. Emily Hawryschuk struck twine five times, while Meaghan Tyrrell and Sierra Cockerille combined for three more scores. SU would play just one more game before the rest of its campaign was canceled due to the coronavirus.

Thankfully, Syracuse is back in action and looks to win its second straight game against a top-five opponent to start its season. First draw against Maryland is set for 3:00 at the JMA Wireless Dome.