Inside The Circle - Week 5
10/2/2001 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 2, 2001
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Welcome to this week's installment of "Inside the Circle," an inside look at Maryland field hockey. Each week throughout the 2001 season, junior Kateri Simon (Fallston, Md.) and senior Autumn Welsh (Macungie, Pa.) will combine to bring you the latest Terp happenings from the student-athlete's point-of-view.
Use Kateri and Autumn's journal to follow the Terps' 2001 campaign all season long. If you would like to submit question to our authors about field hockey, the Terps or anything (within reason!), send us an e-mail.
This week, in the fifth edition, the Terrapins are coming off a spectacular performance against No. 5 Princeton and a heartwrenching triple-overtime loss to No. 11 Virginia. Kateri discusses the squad's reaction to the games and its determination to keep improving in all areas of the game.
For the three and a half years I have been on the field hockey team, the post game ritual has always been the same: thank the refs and the other team, jog two laps, circle up and stretch, talk over the game with the coaches, and then meet with family and friends who came to watch. The same thing happens after every game, but Sunday afternoon's post-game stretch and talk seemed to be in an entirely different world from Friday's.
Obviously, coming off the field after losing in triple overtime sets a much more sullen mood than coming off the field after playing the best game of hockey these Terps have played all year. Despite our hard fought efforts Sunday after being down 2-0 at the half and then coming back to tie it up in regulation, fate was just not with us that day. And we had the edge going into the two fifteen minute overtimes, but just couldn't finish! We had so many opportunities of barely missed shots and break-aways that I though for sure we'd put one in to close it out.
And then there was penalty strokes...there couldn't possibly be a more nerve-racking way to end a game than to watch individual players get one chance to do their best as they stand alone before an entire silent stadium. I hope Christina Pernia's hand is allright after I used it as my stress release during those strokes.
Now, as always, there is much to be learned from this weekend. Our Princeton game proved that we are capable of playing great hockey, and the UVA game shows that we need to consistently play hard for every minute of every game and not expect an outcome. Sadly, by the time we realized this on Sunday, the score was already 2-0.
And although it seemed that the "hockey gods" weren't with us on Sunday, somehow the unlucky injuries found their way to Autumn and Megan. You know it's a bad sign when someone has to wash the blood off the field after an injury, and that happened in both games. What a great sport. But Autumn's and Megan's stitches seem to be healing fine, so no worries.
Wish us all luck next weekend against Duke, and I know I'll see you all out at our next home game on Sunday against Rutgers! Peace out.
