COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland women's lacrosse team, which opens its 2008 season on Friday at UMass, is making its final preparations for its trip to the Bay State. Inside Lacrosse ranked the Terps No. 3 in the nation and Lacrosse Magazine has Maryland ranked fourth. The following is the second of three installments that will examine the Terps prior to the opener. Today's preview focuses on the midfield with a closer look at the defense coming tomorrow.

MIDFIELD
The midfield will once again be vital to the Terps and is another strong point on the field. Two of Maryland's senior captains this year, Dobbie and Kasper, anchor the middle of the field. Their experience and skill makes the Terp midfield one of the best in the nation.

Dobbie and Kasper are a devastating duo. Dobbie, a draw control specialist, ranked fourth in the nation with 3.95 draws per game in 2007. She was named the 2007 ACC Player of the Year in her first season in the conference with 53 goals and 16 assists. She also caused 24 turnovers and picked up 39 ground balls.

Kasper, an All-American in 2007, is a force everywhere on the field. She was third in points on the team last season with 26 goals and 22 assists and led the team with 31 caused turnovers. She also picked up 28 draw controls and 24 ground balls.

"Our midfield is very strong with Kelly and Dana leading the group," Reese said. "They are leaders on the field by example as they are very strong on both ends, have good stick skills and great field sense."

Another star in the making at midfield is sophomore Caitlyn McFadden. As a freshman in 2007, she started all 20 games and recorded 18 goals and 17 assists. The Phoenix, Md. native had 29 draw controls, 27 ground balls, and 21 caused turnovers and is a member of the United States Developmental Team.

"Caitlyn is strong and fast in the midfield," Reese said. "She has the confidence and game experience at this level and comes into this season as a leader. She will be up and back on both ends contributing at the midfield."

Sophomore Amanda Spinnenweber will see an increased role for the Terps this year. She played in 17 games last year and notched 10 goals and three assists. Her 10 goals came on just 17 shots for the best shooting percentage on the squad.

A few newcomers that will make their presence known right away are Laura Merrifield from England and Sarah Mollison from Australia, who are both members of their respective country's national teams. The second sister combination for the Terps is Brandi and Brittany Jones. Brandi enters this year as a freshman while Brittany is a junior transfer from Cal Poly.

Reese has a plethera of options to use at midfield and many different combinations could be utilized. Adding more depth to the midfield ranks is freshman Helen McCutcheon.