Boston Guard 18, Maryland Charm 13

Charm: Found Answers, But Mistakes Too Much To Overcome

Maryland found its answers on offense. After a frustrating game one, where anything outside of Sydni Black dodges seemed to be tough sledding, the Charm showcased the methodical offense the team wanted.

With Alex Aust Holman quarterbacking from X and cutters like Grace Griffin and Aurora Cordingley flying around the crease, the game plan is clear. In game one, Aust Holman finished with no assists. Against Boston, she had three in the first half and four in the game.

Aust Holman and Griffin, who’ve played together before and are currently neighbors, train together and have built a strong feeder-finisher relationship over the years.

“I think when we just find that flow, find that vision, make eyes with one another, it really connected tonight,” Griffin said.

However, right as the offense figured itself out, mistakes derailed a chance at the Charm’s first-ever win.

Maryland’s vaunted defense made plays, but it also kept drawing flags. Boston scored five times on the power play. The Charm lost by five. In that sense, penalties ultimately cost Maryland the game.

Beyond that, Aust Holman was expelled from the game in the third quarter after her shot hit a Boston player in the crease. It’s a challenging, bang-bang play, but ultimately the Charm were left on a three-minute penalty kill and without their quarterback the rest of the night.

To Maryland’s credit, it never stopped fighting. Even down two players — attacker Megan Whittle was ruled out for the remainder of the series before the game — the Charm stood resolute.

Goalie Caylee Waters was a force magnifier on defense, making 12 saves, disrupting plays in the field and nearly setting the internet ablaze with a near goalie goal. 

“Caylee is just unreal,” Maryland head coach Taylor Cummings Danseglio said. “I think you have to be a little bit fearless to be a keeper, but I think Haley takes it to the next level.”

Regardless of the improved offense or strong will, the Charm are staring down an 0-2 record and a minus six goal difference. Saturday against California, Maryland needs everything to go its way.

Up next for Maryland: vs. California Palms (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET)

Guard: It’s More Than The Charlotte North Show

Charlotte North is the face of women’s lacrosse. If you only saw one highlight from this game on the timeline, it was probably North painting the top right corner on a power play. For all of her greatness though, there’s a lot more to the Boston Guard.

Seven different players scored two or more goals and had at least three points. Madison Ahern led the way with a hyper-efficient four goals on five shots (and a pair of assists), but the beauty of Boston’s offense is that no one player is bigger than the team.

“We have a ton of lethal offensive weapons, so we wanted everyone to get a touch,” Guard head coach Laurie DeLuca said.

DeLuca said Boston was too predictable in the opening loss to the California Palms. With improved spacing, everyone got involved. Even when Maryland took away North, for example, a Jackie Wolak or Cassidy Weeks will be there to make a play.

The biggest thing for the Guard was capitalizing on mistakes. When Maryland went to the penalty box, Boston capitalized on the power play, going 5-for-6 for the night. If it weren’t for a series of miraculous saves by Waters, the Guard could’ve pulled away even sooner.

That’s the biggest takeaway for Boston: there’s more meat on the bone. Even after a five-goal win, there were missed opportunities. North, for example, shot just 3-for-11. For one of the best shooters on the planet, there’s more goals in store for the rest of the tournament.

Defensively, the Guard mostly took care of business. In the first half, Boston limited Sydni Black off the dodge and kept Maryland at bay. The Charm got open looks with off-ball actions, but Kady Glynn played well between the pipes with nine saves.

However, Maryland’s offense was playing short-handed, and doubly so in the fourth quarter. The real test will come Saturday against a loaded New York offense as the Guard look to secure a playoff spot.

Up next for Boston: vs. New York Charging (Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET)