2009 Terp Field Hockey Outlook
8/26/2009 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 26, 2009
2009 Maryland Field Hockey
RELOADING THE TRADITION
After winning three National Championships in the past four seasons and four NCAA crowns in the last 10 years (most of any school in that span), one might expect seven-time National Coach of the Year Missy Meharg and her coaching staff to become complacent and rest on their laurels. After all, the Terrapins lost only four seniors, including three starters, from their 2008 championship team and will return eight starters and 14 letterwinners in 2009. That alone gives the Terps a more than sufficient opportunity to win back-to-back national titles for the second time this decade.
However, complacency is not what pushed the Maryland field hockey program to the top of the NCAA's elite. Combined with a highly-decorated and successful returning cast, Meharg brings nine accomplished freshmen into the mix this season in effort to not only plug holes in the depth department, but to charge into a future that begins this fall. The mix of veterans and rookies Meharg and her staff have at their disposal will pay dividends this season and beyond as Maryland aims to reload the tradition.
The Terps' veteran leadership is as abundant as it is indispensable. With seven seniors leading the 2009 squad, this group has been a key component to some of the most successful years in the history of the program. The senior class is hungry to match the success of its predecessors by leaving College Park with three national titles in four years.
The journey to a National Championship is never easy, especially considering the Terps lost the National Player of the Year in Honda Award winner Susie Rowe. The London native won her third career national title while setting school single-season records for goals (t-28) and points (74) in 2008. The offensive-minded Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year also keyed a stout defensive backfield and her presence cannot be easily replicated. Also missing from last year's squad are Mid-Atlantic All-Region selection Ellen Ott, another defensive stalwart for the Terps, four-year starting forward Sarah Scholl and forward/midfield Danielle Keeley.
In all, 42 percent of the Maryland scoring from 2008 is gone - yet a healthy 58 percent returns, including first team All-American and ACC Offensive Player of the Year Katie O'Donnell. Also returning are third team All-Americans Brianna Davies and Alicia Grater, All-Region pick and Maryland's second-leading scorer Nicole Muracco and All-ACC selection Alexis Pappas.
The 2009 Terps - with a combination of youth and experience - are looking to continue to make history in Meharg's 22nd year on the Maryland sideline. Meharg is also eager to challenge the opposition with a major rule change that should help her squad take advantage of its high fitness, speed and athleticism. Beginning this season players can now self-start off of dead balls, which is a great opportunity for the Terps to grow in their fast-paced, end-line-to-end-line style of play.
With a highly-touted, deep group of freshmen eager to learn from and challenge the veterans in practice and for playing time, Maryland has the depth and experience to contend for National Championship No. 7 in 2009.
ATTACK
In 2008, Maryland's potent offensive attack ranked second in the nation in scoring average (4.7), goals per game (4.8) and points per game (13.17). All but one starter (Scholl) returns to the unit in 2009, headed by O'Donnell, the two-time reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year and member of the U.S. National Team. The Blue Bell, Pa., native ranked second in the nation in points (3.09) and assists (1.18) per game and eighth in goals per game (0.95) as a sophomore last season. Her 68 points would have set a Maryland single-season record had it not been for Rowe's 74-point campaign.O'Donnell's playmaking ability is unmatched in the collegiate game today and makes her a Honda Award candidate once again this season. However, she is not the only All-American on the forward line. Senior Nicole Muracco, who scored the third-most goals in one season in Maryland annals with 25 in 2008, will join O'Donnell for one of the most effective 1-2 punches in the nation. Muracco's passing and transition into defense has improved tremendously, but it is her knack for the cage that gives opposing defenses nightmares.
The Terps will be without the services of junior Meghan Dean, a hybrid-type player at the forward and midfield positions, this season due to a knee injury. Brigitte Strother, a sophomore, will play on the frontline this year though her fitness level and attention to detail may make her a fixture in the Maryland attacking midfield.
The trio of freshman forwards is a dynamic group that Meharg is high on. Janessa Pope is a fast, strong forward that brings a tremendous amount of speed to the attack. Kirstie Dennig is a fiery, diving forward with a tremendous amount of competitiveness and Lindsey Puckett is a seasoned player with a great skill set suited to the Terp style of play.
MIDFIELD
The Terp midfield is a highly-experienced, deep group led by senior Alexis Pappas, an All-ACC and Mid-Atlantic All-Region performer who will log some time in the backfield as well. Pappas, a member of the U.S. U-21 Team who has started since her freshman campaign, is a deft tackler with excellent passing skills and great field vision.Ameliet Rischen is a reliable, hard-working player in all areas of the game whose services are invaluable to Meharg. A native of the Netherlands, Rischen earned second team Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors as a junior last season and is one of the most multitalented players on the roster.
Kristina Foster, a senior, is another versatile player who can perform at any position in the midfield and one whom Meharg projects to have a big impact in her final season in College Park.
A nice surprise for Maryland in 2008 was the emergence of Emma Thomas, who joined the Terps partway through the championship season of 2008. Only playing in 16 games, the native of England tallied 22 points (fourth on team) and is the quintessential team player who possesses internationally high-level technical skills.
The newcomers in the Terp midfield include Megan Frazer, Tara Zollinger and Danielle Kauffman. Frazer, who hails from Northern Ireland, is a high-fitness player with an attack mentality. Zollinger, a defensive midfielder, is very creative in her tackling and owns very good passing skills. Kauffman is an all-around athlete who runs the midfield with ease in and out of transition.
BACKFIELD
The Maryland backfield was hit hard with the graduation of two mainstays in Rowe and Ott, but the outlook for 2009 is extremely optimistic for the defensive unit. The backfield is led by All-American Brianna Davies, a senior and U.S. U-21 Team member who started 67 of 68 games during her illustrious collegiate career. A speedy competitor who Meharg called "one of the most exciting players to ever play at Maryland," Davies is one in particular who can take advantage of the new self-start rule thanks to her blazing speed.The modification of the self-start will alter who Meharg plays in the backfield and midfield. Several players, including Davies, Rischen, Pappas and Thomas - a very mature and skilled group - will see time in both areas of the field. Rischen in particular, a high-skilled player with great attack and tackling skills, will more than likely see time in the central backfield.
Sophomore Michelle Lane, an up-and-coming player, is a speedy competitor that battled an injury all spring but should be 100 percent by the season-opener. Junior Amanda Himmelheber, arguably Maryland's most physically strong player, is a powerful left-hander who Meharg hopes can tap into her limitless potential even more so this season. Alicia Morawski, who is coming off a torn ACL injury, is a very tenacious, strong player with a natural understanding for the game. Her return is as significant on the field as it is off of it, being a leader and one whose desire is infectious to her teammates.
The freshmen in the backfield are extremely defensive in nature in Colleen Gulick, Harriet Tibble and Christine Knauss. Gulick is an excellent athlete in multiple sports, including being a world-class cyclist, who performs at a high level consistently. Tibble is a fundamentally-sound player with international experience while Knauss owns a high work ethic and desire to win.
GOALKEEPING
The Maryland goalkeeping unit looks strong again this season with the return of All-American senior Alicia Grater and redshirt sophomore Melissa Vassalotti. Last season proved to be a breakout year for Grater as she earned All-American status for the first time as well as being named an All-ACC and Mid-Atlantic All-Region pick. The team will count on Grater's on-field awareness and strong leadership in her fifth year as a Terp.Vassalotti returns this season after a strong spring campaign. In 2008, she saw time in nine games, including 19 minutes of the NCAA Quarterfinal victory over Duke. Vassalotti continues to grow under the guidance of associate head coach Marybeth Freeman and will remain a key part of the Maryland deep defense.
Maryland's quest for its seventh national title begins in Evanston, Ill., on Friday versus Ohio in the Wildcat Classic.
