Stick Stories: Tales of the Terps
9/2/2009 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Hey Terp Fans! As a freshman I had no idea what to expect as the 23 of us boarded our bus as the quest to win the ACC championship began. Hearing stories from the seniors of how exciting the next five days were going to be made me very anxious for the weekend to begin. We were so excited to being this journey and arrived at our hotel that night.
The next morning we enjoyed a made-to-order breakfast. With a full day ahead of us, we headed to the field to have practice and then had lunch. Returning to the field, we watched the second half of the Wake Forest/Boston College game to know who we would play the next day. We then returned to the hotel where dinner, video and a team meeting was waiting for us. The lobby of the hotel became the hot spot after dinner as many of us discovered a cookie jar. As some just made one visit here and there some others made many visits as we learned this trip who was the teams biggest cookie monster. After a long day the warm cookies and hot apple cider coupled with the cozy atmosphere and soft beds, really hit the spot.
Waking up 8 a.m. on game day we moseyed down to enjoy another delicious breakfast right before we loaded the buses to go to the field for walk through. We returned to the hotel and had our pregame meal. After getting all our gear ready for the game, we reloaded the bus to head out to play Wake Forest for the semifinals round of the ACC tournament. On the bus ride to the field we were all hyped up and ready for this game. D.J. Christine Knauss hooked us up with an awesome CD that we blasted on our way to the field. When we arrived to the field we were all focused and ready to beat Wake.
An exciting 3-2 win gave us a spot in the championship game. How exciting! Later that night we had dinner with our families and friends. The day we had some time in the morning before and after practice to catch up on our studies. In the afternoon we took a team visit to the local movie theater to see the new Michael Jackson movie: This Is It. Not only did the movie provide incite to the musical talents by MJ, it also showed us parallels between the team work of the cast and crew and the undivided commitment we all share with our team. Returning from the movie, another team dinner and meeting was waiting for us.
After a good night's sleep we woke up the next day ready to take on UVA in the final stage to winning the ACC. After breakfast and walk through we loaded the bus to find our families and friends outside with their signs and banners as they began to cheer us on to victory. The bus was decked out in streamers, balloons and signs! Arriving at the field the atmosphere was completely different from the other day. There were many more fans, more media around, and more heat! Quite the shock for us Terps, we were not expecting the sun to be shining as bright as it was. With a high energy warm up and pep talk from our captains, we were ready to take on UVA.
After a rough first half, we regrouped and realized that that half was in our past and we couldn't change it or do anything about it. We knew the tides were changing when in the second half we brought more energy and vigor. After OD's nearly impossible angle shot put us on the score board, we all jumped up and down with excitement as we were right back in it and ready to get another one. In less then two minutes from the first goal Nikki found the back board as we tied it up! As the buzzard blew, UVA was left with one final try as they had a penalty corner. Their other two goals were both scored on a penalty corner, but our defense was going to do anything it took to keep the ball out of the net. With success we continued our quest into overtime. Wasting little time in OT our corner unit executed a beautiful insert to an ideal stick stop followed by a perfectly placed drag that led to the game winning sharp paced tip by Megan. Running on to the field our adrenaline was sky high as we jumped on each other in celebration of a very hard fought victory. It was the most unbelievable and wonderful feeling for us as we embraced the hard work and perseverance that was used during that game. At that moment, I lived the excitement and celebration all the seniors told us about when describing their passed ACC titles. The win felt amazing as all the hard work put in by everyone was well paid off.
With such an exciting and exuberant win, we spent some time thanking all our fans for the support and enjoyed the snack bags provided by the parents while many took turns taking pictures with the trophy and acc sign. Still in celebration we then loaded the bus and headed back to college park. With such an exciting and great accomplishment, we all knew our work was not done yet. The post season continues as we all have our common goal and are excited and ready to fulfill it.
Hi everyone!
Being a junior, I had experienced ACC Tournament in the past. We watched Wake Forest play Boston College on Thursday. The game ended up being very close and it showed how much every team at the tournament was willing to play with all their heart and try as hard as possible to be successful. After Wake won, I knew we would have to step up our game another level and focus on our game plan.
We started out the game strong and the energy was apparent on and off the field. Wake was able to score later in the game but we held strong and stepped up our game to finish with a win. We were elated after our victory but we knew there was still another step on the road to a successful ACC Tournament trip.
The final game against UVA was a completely different experience. Both teams had so much energy and excitement at the start of the match. During the first half, UVA was able to capitalize and score two goals. Going into half time we knew we had another 35 minute game to play at an intensity and level that we are capable of. We had to opportunity to put our hearts on the line and do absolutely whatever it took to come back with a win. Twenty minutes of the second half went by and the Terps were dominating. The energy on the bench was overwhelming and it was obvious that the players on the field were giving more than one hundred percent. Finally the first goal came by Katie O'Donnell. The entire facility erupted in cheers and our energy was so strong and positive. It was not much later that Nicole Murracco put another ball in the back of the cage. We had tied up the game. The rest of the half went on with both teams pushing to get a final goal. When the final buzzer sounded, we knew we were going into overtime. Since I have been on the team, our 7v7 overtime has always been successful. Because of this, I was feeling pretty confident that we would pull through. Not too far into the overtime, we earned a corner and scored. We were 2009 ACC Champions! The victory was sweet but I think it made it that much better after the amount of heart and effort we put in to get there. I think it shows a lot about our team that we were able to come back with only fifteen minutes in the game. It would be easy for teams to give up but we did the complete opposite. We proved to each other that if we come together and every single person does exactly what it takes and what the team needs, we will come out on top. I am looking forward to what the NCAA Tournament brings! We are ready to work hard and push ourselves to a new level and limit!
Nov. 4, 2009
Hello Terp Fans!!
Last Friday, October 30, we concluded our 2009 regular season with more than just a win over a number 12 ranked Stanford team. Prior to playing Friday night, our team recognized seven exceptional seniors that have led the 2009 team through knowledge of the game and example. Each senior has made a great impact on a well balanced team of upper and lower classman, and on behalf of the team, we would like to thank each senior for all they have done. Thank you, Alicia Grater, Alexis Pappas, Brianna Davies, Nicole Muracco, Emma Thomas, Kristina Foster and Ameliet Rischen!
The closing of our 2009 season was a celebration, not only for our seniors and the rain-free weather, but for our team as well. As most of you may already know, this is the first undefeated season for our team in program history and with this accomplishment we have received the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament. Although a perfect season and No. 1 seed is worthy of great celebration, there was only minimal time to enjoy the many accomplishments this team has acquired throughout our regular season.
After a weekend off, our team came back Monday ready to practice and prepare for the upcoming ACC tournament. Despite having the number 1 seed and a bye in the first round of the tournament, nothing can be taken for granted and each individual is working hard to prepare in every way. After a few more practices, our team will pack up and head to UVA with the regular season in the past and the next game in mind. The trip is nothing out of the ordinary for us, only a few hours down the road, and with all 23 players on board we are excited and ready to begin the ACC competition.
- Meghan Dean and Kirstie Dennig
Oct. 22, 2009
2009 Hall of Fame photo gallery
Hi everyone...
Last weekend we had two games, ODU and Delaware. Playing ODU is always an exciting game for us. We play them twice a year and we can always expect different tactical plans which help prepare us for the post season ahead. When we played Old Dominion on Friday, it was a much different game from our first encounter in in September. Knowing that ODU could come out strong, as they had put one in within the first 30 seconds in the first go round, we knew we had to come out as a harder unit this time. This is something we did successfully. Differing from the first game against ODU, we were up 3-0 by the end of the first half. Our steady lead throughout the game allowed for us to get a majority of our players playing time and experience in a highly competitive game. With a final score of 6-3, it was a exciting team win which allowed us to work on our tactics and move forward to the Delaware game a couple days later, and the post season which is quickly approaching.
On Saturday, we all came to the locker room to eat some breakfast (Dunkin Donuts bagels!) and talk about field hockey. This made us prepare for the game against Delaware the next day. We didn't practice on Saturday. Sunday morning we left early for Delaware. Once we got there, we had our pregame meal at a hotel across the street from the field. After fueling our machines, we went over to the field for a little walk through, to check out the field etc. After hitting around for a bit, we went back to the hotel to get ready for the game. It was cold and windy out, but luckily no rain. Delaware was well prepared and made it tough for us. The end score was 4-0.
After the game, we all went to Lindsey Puckett's house, to eat, eat and eat. We all had a great time. Pucketts: thanks so much again for your hospitality, we all had a blast! After a great meal at Lindsey's house, it was time to head back to College Park, to take care of our academics since we had school the next day. No field hockey on Monday and Tuesday, just school. Wednesday we had a tough practice, to prepare for our big game this coming weekend: UNC! We are really excited for the next game. It's a good feeling to know that we have done everything we can to put ourselves in the best position to be successful on Saturday.
Ameliet Rischen and Michelle Lane
P.S. Check out the pictures from the 2009 Maryland Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Head coach Missy Meharg and former Terp Katie Kauffman-Beach were inducted!
Hey Terps!
This past weekend started off with our rival Old Dominion University. Playing them is always exciting and intense because of the history we have with them; the competition they bring is what we need in order to continue to grow as a team. The week of practices before we play them is always tough mentally and physically, but we prevail because we trust the coaching staff and the plan they have for us. We proved our hard work and determination Friday when every Terp player contributed to the 6-3 win.
Thankfully the rain held up for our trip to University of Delaware on Sunday. Even for a day trip to an away game, we still keep all of our traditions, such as braiding each other's hair and wearing lucky socks. After a tough battle against the Blue Hens, we continue our journey with a sixteen and zero record. As we drove back home, we made a pit stop at the Pucketts' lovely home to have a nice home-cooked dinner that many of the Terp families contributed to. It's so great to have such a close team because we act as a family, especially to those players who aren't as fortunate as others to have their family close by. It was an incredible post-game meal, so thank you to the Pucketts and all the parents!
And while the Terps continue to succeed on the field, we are also fulfilling our academic goals. We work just as hard in the classroom as we do on the field. It's especially tough within these couple weeks because of midterms (eek)! Yet, even with minimal sleep and brains stuffed to capacity, we are ready to get back out on the field and train hard for #2 UNC on Saturday.
- Kristina Foster (Roo) and Christine Knauss
Oct. 7, 2009
Hi Terp fans!
The beginning of October is traditionally when the season begins to heat up, and this year that has certainly been the case. On Sept. 26 we played a talented Wake Forest side, and with the score 1-1 at half time it really forced us to step our game up to a new level in the second half. Three days later we travelled into D.C. to play American. That is always a team that outplays their ranking, and true to form they did make life difficult for us, particularly with the amount of pressure they put on our forwards. As has become a theme for us this season, in the second half we grew in confidence and once we had found the net we kept on going, gradually increasing our control of the game.
Though we all felt the American game was tough, the toughest part was still to come; the next morning we arrived to practice with heavy legs to discover that we had `physio practice', which basically means doing drills interspersed with running shuttles. One of our themes this season has been to `trust the plan' and we certainly did that, finding a way to pull together and perform when the going was pretty tough. The resilience we learned that practice was essential just two days later when we played against UVA.
We knew UVA would be talented this year and the atmosphere in the locker room prior to the game was a healthy mixture of respect and belief. The first half was evenly matched and when UVA pulled away after an error in our penalty corner execution we had no doubt that we could pull it back. Three minutes later we thought we had scored through a penalty corner in the final play of the half, but the umpires ruled that it was not a goal. Going into the locker room at half time was undoubtedly the most emotion we have experienced yet this season and a mixture of anger, frustration, confidence, passion and belief was unloaded. Because of cards, going into the second half we started with 10 players, went down to 9 and from then on struggled to keep the whole team on the field as a combined total of 12 cards were issued to the teams. It was then that our bench really stepped it up; they weren't only our twelfth man, but at times were our tenth, eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth as well. As we grew into the game our confidence, belief and flexibility really did show through, scoring three goals and taking control of the game. Looking back, the challenges we faced against UVA really did teach us some important lessons. Going on to win despite being a goal down, having what we thought was the equalizer disallowed and playing with 9 or 10 players for most of the second half really did show us what we can achieve when we stick together and do the hard work for each other, whether it is on the field, on the bench, in practice or even in the training room.
Going into the Princeton game tonight, we will be taking one vital lesson from the last ten days; it might only take one play or one player to score, but it takes the dedication, hard-work and belief from all 23 of us to win.
Emma and Harriet
Sept. 24, 2009
At 6:30 a.m. last Friday, Sept. 18, our trip started to Boston for our match the following day against Boston College. Imagine 18 girls together -- you think we would be loud and hyper. Well that early in the morning, we are grumpy, tired, and probably hungry, with the exception of those few girls on our team that are used to seeing that hour on the clock. After a solid 2-3 more hours of sleep on the bus we stopped to stretch our legs. After stretching, we made sandwiches for lunch, then study hall. After study hall we started watching "Any Given Sunday," and the coaches decided that we should listen to Al Pacino's speech on the way to the game -- the first ACC game of the season.
Boston College is no team to take lightly. We stepped on the field and competed against a very good team. BC definitely stepped on the field to compete against us. We had moments of fantastic hockey and also moments to learn from. In those moments where we were connecting and our skills were on, we were scoring goals and keeping them out of our defensive area.
Overall, this game left us with things we can improve on and we will be working on this week in practice, but we all left the field satisfied with a win. We had to take the long bus ride home and watched three different movies. After arriving home fairly late, we awoke early in the morning for practice.
OD and Janessa
Sept. 9, 2009
Danielle Kauffman on Sunday's Michigan game:
This past Sunday was our first home game against the University of Michigan! I got to learn all of the pregame rituals. First, we had our walkthrough where we just get familiar with the field and ball. This also helps to wake and warm up our bodies. After the walkthrough, we get to go to the Bagel Place. We eat here before every home game. It is so good. They have any kind of bagel you could imagine. After the bagel place, we had a few moments to go back to our dorm. My roommate and I use this time to prepare for the game. We listen to music and make our Secret Psycher gifts. When we arrived at the field, the 1999 team was playing an alumni game. It was cool getting to meet some of Maryland's legendary players. Then it is our turn to play. It was exciting to warm-up and listen to the new CD that the marketing guy made for us, but today our warm-up was much shorter than usual. We didn't have time to do our usual pregame kickball game. Every game, they announce all of the starting players and they run out and slap each other's hands. This game, they all decided to do a dance move before running out. This was really fun to watch. It made me feel more relaxed. The first half we definitely dominated, but we couldn't seem to find the back of the net. However, in the second half we had no trouble. Nicole, Ameliet, and OD combined for four goals. Unfortunately, the Wolverines slipped one in. The final score tallied 4-1. It was an exciting way to win our first home game. After the game, there was an autograph session. I know that I, and most of the freshman, found this to be a lot of fun since it was our first game signing autographs. After the autograph session, we headed into the locker room to get cleaned up and then joined our families and friends for a tailgate after the game. There is always so much good food at the tailgate, thanks to our wonderful families! After the tailgate, we all headed home to finish our duties as a student as well. GO TERPS!
Alicia Morawski with the weekend's recap and next week's outlook
For some the weekend flew by, but others it slowly ticked away as we missed our first Friday classes for our long bus ride down to Old Dominion, practice Saturday, and home-opener against Michigan Sunday. With every new experience and each step in our journey as a team we learn a little more about each other and this weekend proved no different. The bus ride down to ODU served to be a team bonding experience as road trips always do, especially having our entire team together for the first time. On the field we grew after a 21 second wake up call from ODU as they got on the board first to standing our ground against a physical Michigan team. With a long weekend at our backs there comes time to rest and recoup which is exactly what we did. We had Labor Day off both school and hockey and a lift and jog on Tuesday. With the shortened school week, the weekend seems within arms reach! We have the Terrapin Invitational this weekend, I'm looking forward to being home in front of our Maryland crowd and to take another step towards playing out best Terp hockey... and I know the best is yet to come.
Colleen Gulick on the Old Dominion game
On Friday, we traveled five hours down to Virginia to play Ole Dominion, who was ranked No. 16. We were all on the giant Maryland bus together, all 23 of us for the first time. Our bus driver, Kevin, did his best to avoid traffic but it seemed inevitable as we were heading towards the beach at the beginning of the Labor Day weekend. However, we made the most of our situation and partook in a productive study hall to make up for the classwork we would be missing. Once we finally arrived in Norfolk, we had a team lunch and walkthrough. Overall, I believe we are a team that works hard and plays hard, so our pregame warm ups tend to be amusing, competitive and productive all at the same time. Our game time was 5 p.m. and ODU came out unexpectedly strong. I think we were ready for ODU's aggressive pressing system, due to Tjerk's pregame video prep, but they really set us on our heels with an early goal. We rebounded extremely strong in the blistering Virginia heat to achieve a 3-2 half time score. Continuing to play hard, and using the outside lanes of the field, we drew eight offensive penalty corners and dominated the second half of the game. We continued our progression forward to earn a final score of 6-3. Everyone played amazing; it was a real team effort with players of all ages tallying goals and assists. As a team, we have been consistently improving and I cannot wait to see what kind of heights we can achieve as we venture further into our season.
Senior Brianna Davies talks about the team's games in the Wildcat Classic this past weekend...
This weekend we opened our season with the Wildcat classic at Northwestern in Chicago. We started off playing Ohio University and ended up winning 2-0. Next we played a strong Boston University team and won 3-0. Last, we played Northwestern with a score of 7-2 - us. This weekend was a huge building experience for us. We learned a lot about each other on the field, and had some great plays during the weekend. We still have lots of room for improvement and will only keep getting better each game. We ended up winning all our games and played well but overall we can get better, we just need to get used to each other on the field more so we can start connecting even more!! I know I speak for the team when I say we are so excited for our upcoming games this weekend and cannot wait for our home opener against Michigan on Sunday!!!
Senior Alicia Grater on the team's experience in Chicago...
This trip certainly had its balance of work and play! We stepped off the planes at Midway Airport and boarded four vans driven by Missy, Marybeth, Tjerk, and Sandy- let the adventures begin! The rides were filled with anxious girls singing obnoxiously loud, "Would you Rather" questions, and in the case of Missy's van some U-Turns as we traveled to the beautiful Hotel Orrington. Here, we would jump from one another's room watching TV, getting to know each other better, and of course relaxing in our cozy beds for "legs up" time. When we were not at the field or in the hotel, we ventured off with our family and friends. Some entered the Windy city leaving their footprints on the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower while others stayed in Evanston developing the Red Mango syndrome, a frozen yogurt shop conveniently located a block away from the hotel. The trip , which at times felt like a sleepover with your best friends, came to an end too soon as we arrived back in College Park late Monday evening to begin our first day of classes Tuesday morning.... I suppose that means future trips will be less play and more work!
Junior Katie O'Donnell on this coming weekend's games...
After a great weekend, it's back to reality. Tuesday was the team's first day of classes. For the first week of school, we miss a Monday and a Friday - welcome to the life of a student athlete. Since we had Tuesday off I only got to talk to a handful of girls and everyone seemed to enjoy their first day. On Wednesday we have a lift and practice. Thursday morning we have my favorite thing ever.... 7am practice. But none the less no matter how tired we are, how hungry we grow, or annoyed that we can almost watch the sun rise on the way to practice, we go and we work hard, because that is a huge factor in our success this year. On Friday we will be departing for our game against Old Dominion. Always a tough game for the Lady Terps, in my opinion this team is the team that plays with the most amount of pride. When a team plays with that much pride, will be hard to beat. To top it off they have good skill, so they are one of our toughest competitions. Following ODU we have our FIRST home game of the 2009 season against Michigan! Usually in our first home game we draw a pretty big crowd and with the excitement of the first game I just know we will come to the field with a passion to impress our Terp family. Megan Frazer's arrival to College Park makes our team complete, finally. For the first time in all of preseason and season we will have everyone on the field.
"The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created--created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating." -Unknown.
Find out what we have created in our blog next week, adios!
