Fueled by Culture and Confidence, Maryland Women’s Lacrosse Returns to Final Four
How Maryland’s tight culture, rich history, and “1-0” mindset has set it up for success.
By Brady Ruth, Staff Writer
5/20/2026
The noise surrounding Maryland’s Final Four run has grown louder by the day, but inside practice, the focus has stayed remarkably steady.
Every rep still matters. Every drill still carries urgency. Every day is still about going 1-0.
That consistency has carried the Terps back to the sport’s biggest stage for the 29th time in program history. Now, Maryland sits two wins away from its 16th national championship and another chapter in the most decorated program in women’s lacrosse history.
“When you watch the games, you can see how much we love each other,” Kori Edmondson said. “Every little thing is celebrated. When someone scores, every single one of us is in the air celebrating. Something different is clicking, and it's amazing to be a part of. You can tell that when we’re playing this sport, we're playing it with love, we're playing it the right way, and we're playing with passion.”
One last win at home ?? pic.twitter.com/91CEDwkcrr
— Maryland Women's Lacrosse (@MarylandWLax) May 16, 2026
This is new for this group, competing in the Final Four. We’ve got a lot of seniors that dreamt of being on this stage for Maryland, and have been continuing to work toward that every single year. Growing up as little kids, they watched us win the championship in 2017 and 2019. It has been such a fun season and such a fun group to work with, because they're so selfless, they care about each other so deeply, and they are having so much fun in everything that we do.Maryland head coach Cathy Reese
THE TERPS ARE HEADED TO THE FINAL FOUR ?? pic.twitter.com/dqIvxu7VnP
— Big Ten Lacrosse (@B1GLacrosse) May 14, 2026
All season long, the Terps have been driven by a mindset of going 1-0 every day. It keeps them rooted. They’ve seen the vision of a national championship all season long, but the focus has solely been on winning the game at hand.
“We're very process-driven and not very result-driven,” Keeley Block said. “When you're result-driven, you get lost in the process. Thinking about our 1-0 mindset makes it a lot easier to manage. We can break it down into four quarters or every time we have the ball, going 1-0 on every single possession. It makes things more manageable than thinking about entire games or even national championships.”
When the Terps take the field in Evanston, they’ll square off with the North Carolina Tar Heels women's lacrosse in their first Final Four appearance since 2022. Attacker Jordyn Lipkin was on that squad and knows what it takes to reach the biggest stage. This year, she says, she feels even more confident, knowing that the culture in the locker room will take this team as far as they want to go.
“Experience always helps,” Lipkin said. “We had a lot of experience in 2022, and this year we have a lot of experience as well. At the end of the day, it just really comes down to the team and everyone just enjoying all the little things and every moment that we have with each other. We're all so bought in, all 35 of us, and we just genuinely love each other and we want this so bad.”
The season has been a grind, chock-full of adversity and trials around every corner. The Terps have collected 18 wins — and counting — in six different states. Maryland has downed seven ranked opponents and knows what it takes to compete with the best.
“We’ve been in every situation you can think of.” Lipkin said. “We've won close games, we've won in overtime, we've lost in overtime, we've had not-so-great performances, and we've also had great games. We've been up a lot, we've been down a lot, and we’ve always responded the same. I think it gives us the confidence knowing we've been in every single situation you could be in and we know how to handle it.”
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Tighter than any, this year’s team has leaned on its culture and common goals to stay vigilant and positive, even through the rare losses. The Terps have pushed No. 1 seed Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse to the brink twice, and they’ve grown from every game they’ve played so far.
Battle-tested in every game, the Terps aren’t out of a game until the clock hits zero. Maryland has scored three or more goals in the fourth quarter 10 times in 2026, including five in a thrilling comeback win over Georgetown Hoyas women's lacrosse.
“Every game is very different,” Block said. “Every team that we play against is different, and it's so special that we can all have each other's backs no matter what. Sometimes our defense isn't playing the best and our offense has their back, and sometimes the offense needs a little help from the defense and they give it.”
We’ve been in every situation you can think of. We've won close games, we've won in overtime, we've lost in overtime, we've had not-so-great performances, and we've also had great games. We've been up a lot, we've been down a lot, and we’ve always responded the same. I think it gives us the confidence knowing we've been in every single situation you could be in and we know how to handle it.Jordyn Lipkin
One last win at home ?? pic.twitter.com/91CEDwkcrr
— Maryland Women's Lacrosse (@MarylandWLax) May 16, 2026
But the first half is when the Terps truly shine. They’ve honed in on starting hot and taking early command. Maryland has led at halftime in 18 of its 21 games in 2026, setting a resilient group up for success in the opening minutes.
“We're so excited to play,” Edmondson said. “We get out there, and it's just like we're firing on all cylinders. We're so happy to be out there. We're excited to play, and I think we take everything that we're doing — every play and every possession — as it could be our last.”
By far the winningest program in the nation, Maryland is two wins away from a 16th national championship. No other team has more than eight NCAA-recognized titles, and the Terps’ 821 all-time wins clear any other school by over 200 victories.
Under head coach Cathy Reese, Maryland has won five national championships (2010, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019), is headed to its 14th Final Four and closing in on its ninth title game appearance.
“This is new for this group, competing in the Final Four,” Reese said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors that dreamt of being on this stage for Maryland, and have been continuing to work toward that every single year. Growing up as little kids, they watched us win the championship in 2017 and 2019. It has been such a fun season and such a fun group to work with, because they're so selfless, they care about each other so deeply, and they are having so much fun in everything that we do.”
Punching our ticket to the final four! ??? pic.twitter.com/wScFTkK4Ct
— Maryland Women's Lacrosse (@MarylandWLax) May 15, 2026
Every game is very different. Every team that we play against is different, and it's so special that we can all have each other's backs no matter what. Sometimes our defense isn't playing the best and our offense has their back, and sometimes the offense needs a little help from the defense and they give it.Keeley Block
Through Maryland’s rich history, the Terps have defeated longtime rival UNC 27 times. History may be on the Terps’ side as 10 of their 15 previous national championship seasons have featured wins over the Tar Heels.
From the start of camp through the NCAA Tournament, Reese has noticed a bond in this team that matches the composure of the best teams she’s coached in her illustrious career. With seven different players with at least 10 goals, her Terps are as well-rounded as any team in the nation and play with full confidence in one another.
“It definitely felt special, the way we were playing in the fall,” Reese said. “As we started to play more and more, we knew we had the pieces of the puzzle, we just needed the time to put them together. When everybody started to do their thing and do their role and their job, we started to play some really good lacrosse. We felt glimpses of it this fall and it carried over into our season.”
Rooted in history, bonded by a love for one another and driven by a desire to bring the program back to the top of college lacrosse, the 2026 Terrapins have all the makings of a national champion. Only two games remain on the docket, putting Maryland 120 minutes away from adding to its storied legacy.
