Women's Soccer Preview: 5 Questions
8/16/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 20, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, MD. - As the No. 16 University of Maryland women's soccer team prepares to begin its 2010 season on Friday, August 20 vs. Iona, here's the five big questions (one each day heading into the season opener) facing the Terps this season.
#1: The Terps finished 2009 with a 14-6-2 record, a sixth-place finish in the ACC and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA College Cup. What does 2010 have in store for Maryland?
Was 2009 just a magical year for the Terps or was it just another step of head coach Brian Pensky's rebuilding process? A quick look at the roster (which has been broken down in the previous four questions) and the schedule makes one think that it's more of the latter.
Pensky knows the challenges that await his Terps at the end of September when the ACC schedule begins, so he has balanced his non-conference schedule to prepare for the toughest conference in women's soccer.
The season begins tonight at home vs. Iona, which was 8-12-1 last season, but features two preseason All-MAAC players. From there the opening home stand wraps up with two-time defending Big 12 regular season champion Missouri on Sunday at 11 a.m. The Tigers like to play a high-pressure style that will be a great challenge for a retooled Terrapin defense.
Maryland then hits the road for the first time in 2010, heading to Knoxville, Tenn., to play in the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic. The Terps play host Tennessee on Friday night and the Lady Vols will certainly be looking to avenge the 1-0 loss they suffered at the hands of the Terrapins in the 2006 season opener in Knoxville. Maryland finishes the weekend with a match vs. Kennesaw State, which won the 2009 Atlantic Sun regular season and tournament titles.
The Terps then have a week off before hosting Stony Brook on Sept. 5. Maryland then heads north to New Jersey to play at Seton Hall on Sept. 8. The non-conference schedule finishes with home matches with Delaware (Sept. 12) and George Mason (Sept. 17).
One thing to keep in mind is that Maryland has won 11 straight matches against non-ACC opponents dating back to a 10-0 victory over Mount St. Mary's in 2008.
The ACC schedule begins with a pair of home games against Duke (Sept. 26) and Virginia (Sept. 30), which are ranked seventh and 24th in the preseason Soccer America Top 25. The Blue Devils will be looking to avenge a 4-0 loss to the Terps in Durham, N.C., last year, while the Terps and the Cavaliers will look to settle their 2-2 tie from a year ago.
From there Maryland plays a tough stretch of three road games (two vs. ranked opponents in the preseason NSCAA poll) in eight days: at No. 15 Virginia Tech (Oct. 3), at No. 7 Boston College (Oct. 7) and at NC State (Oct. 10).
Maryland then returns home for just one game vs. Clemson on Oct. 14. That leads to another tough road trip, this time down Tobacco Road to play two top 10 teams: No. 10 Wake Forest (Oct. 21) and No. 1 North Carolina (Oct. 24).
The regular season wraps up with a two game home stand vs. No. 6 Florida State (Oct. 28) and Miami (Oct. 31). The late October trip is the latest the two Sunshine State teams have traveled to College Park since joining the ACC.
Here's a breakdown of Maryland's 2010 Schedule:
Games vs. 2009 NCAA Tournament Teams: 8
Games vs. teams with a winning record in 2009: 10
Day games on the 2010 schedule: 9
Night games on the 2010 schedule: 9
Longest home stand: 19 days (Sept. 12-30)
Longest stretch of road games: 8 days (Oct. 3-10)
#2: Who will replace Mary Casey in goal for the Terps in 2010?
This is the biggest question facing the Terps as they enter the 2010 season, partly because of the job Mary Casey did in goal for Maryland the past two seasons and partly because head coach Brian Pensky has three capable keepers vying for the starting spot.
Yewande Balogun has the edge in experience, having started 20 career matches. Balogun, who redshirted last season, has the physical tools - size, athleticism, explosiveness - to be a solid keeper, but needs to be more consistent with the little things between the lines. Her terrific freshman season in 2007 when she started 15 games and had a 0.87 goals-against average with five shutouts shows that Balogun is capable of being a top-level goalkeeper.
The Terps' other two options are redshirt freshmen Lianne Maldonado and Shannon Zickler. Both are unproven in terms of actual game action, but both turned in solid spring seasons to push Balogun.
While Pensky has not named a starter for Friday's opener vs. Iona, it's safe to say that this competition is far from over no matter who gets the nod vs. the Gaels.
#3: The Terps scored nearly two goals per game last year. How will the Terps' offense improve this season?
The Terps offense begins with junior Jasmyne Spencer. The native of Bay Shore, N.Y., scored a team-high 10 goals last year and led the squad with 25 points. Opponents may have overlooked the diminutive (she stands a mere 5-foot-1) speedster last year after a freshman season when she didn't score a goal, but the Maryland's first-ever MAC Hermann Trophy watch list selection is going to be the focus of defenses this season.
Joining Spencer up top for the Terps will be sophomore Daneille Hubka. The 2009 ACC All-Freshman selection scored five goals in her first collegiate season and is looking to make a significant improvement this year. But the high school All-American will first have to knock some rust off of her boots after she missed all of the spring due to injury.
Pensky is not short of options to replace Hubka for the short-term. First up will likely be junior Ashley Grove. The super-sub from Rochester, N.Y., scored seven goals last season, including three game-winners for the Terps. Grove is another speedster who usually subbed in for Spencer last season, but the two together could give opposing defenses fits.
Another possibility could be junior Sade Ayinde, who at 5-foot-9 gives the Terps a more physical option. Ayinde has worked hard to improve her conditioning heading into this season and could give Pensky some extended minutes in 2010.
The two wild cards at forward for Maryland are newcomer Cristina Sanchez-Quintinar and redshirt junior Annesia Faulkner.
Sanchez-Quintinar came to College Park last season and was a member of the women's tennis team, but joined the soccer team just prior to fall training. With her size, skill and athleticism, Sanchez-Quintinar give Pensky another solid option off of his bench.
Faulkner is looking to return after missing all of the 2009 season due to a foot injury. She is slated to undergo another surgery at the start of the season, but could be ready to return for conference play in October. A proven playmaker who led the team with six assists as a sophomore in 2008, Faulkner could be another valuable reserve.
Two other forwards, senior Olivia Onyeador and sophomore Ariel Nehemiah, are also recovering from injury.
#4: The Terps return nearly all of their midfielders from last season, but how will this year's midfield be put together?
The Terps lost only one midfielder (Maureen Dowling) from last year's squad and will look to the center of the field as a strength this season.
Leading this unit will be senior co-captain Molly Dreska. A lone fifth-year player on the Terrapin roster, Dreska is a solid organizer with the experience to play either in the center, where she played in 2009, or out wide, where she has replaced Caitlin McDowell in the preseason. The native of Rockville Centre, N.Y., she is a well-rounded threat as either a scorer or a distributor.
Junior Lydia Hastings made the transition from forward to midfield last season and had a solid sophomore season despite seeing her point total drop from 14 to five. The Rehoboth Beach, Del., native gives the Terps a scoring threat on the left side of the field as well as a capable playmaker. Hastings' experience as a forward also gives head coach Brian Pensky a lot of flexibility with his line-up.
The defensive center midfield spot seems to be set with sophomore Domenica Hodak returning. The West Sayville, N.Y., native played in 15 games as a freshman, including starting nine matches. Standing just 5-foot-4, Hodak doesn't seem like the typical defensive center midfielder, be she plays with a swagger and toughness that sets the tone for the Terps' defense.
Amy O'Sullivan has filled the fourth starting midfield spot in the preseason scrimmages. The third-year player from Rochester, N.Y., has all of the physical skills to be an impact player this season and can play either in the middle of the field or out wide.
Sophomores Olivia Wagner and Rachel Lamarre give Pensky experienced reserves. Wagner gives the Terps some size in the midfield, standing 5-foot-8, and is terrific on free and corner kicks. Lamarre is in her first season as a Terp, but played in 16 games for Penn State as a freshman in 2009.
Freshman Kayla Clarke is an outstanding prospect that could also give the Terps a boost off the bench.
With junior Becky Kaplan set to redshirt the season, the Terps will also look to sophomore forward Danielle Hubka and junior defender Skyy Anderson for midfield depth if the need arises.
#5: How will the Terps fill the openings at wide back with the loss of Brittany Cummins and Megan Watson?
The Terps' defense in 2009 was one of the driving forces behind Maryland's resurgence and its run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA College Cup. But both wide backs from 2009 - Brittany Cummins and Megan Watson - graduated, leaving two sizeable holes in the Terps' defense for 2010.
Head coach Brian Pensky, who's style likes to push the wide backs forward to support the offense, needed look only to his depth in the midfield to solve his problem at wide back.
As the 2010 season opener approaches on Friday, senior co-captain Caitlin McDowell capably fills the left side wide back spot. The native of Plano, Texas, spent the last three seasons in the midfield, playing both center and wide spots. She also has some experience playing wide back as she filled in for Cummins last season in the Terps' 3-1 victory over Brown.
Filling the right back spot is another converted midfielder, Megan Gibbons. The sophomore from Ellicott City, Md., played in only seven games as a freshman last season, but three of those were post-season games: vs. North Carolina in the ACC tournament and against Monmouth and Washington State in the NCAA College Cup.
Since both McDowell and Gibbons are converted midfielders they fit Pensky's offensive scheme perfectly, helping generate offense from the back line, but their lack of experience on defense is a concern. Helping ease that concern is a trio of solid center backs: Skyy Anderson, Mallory Baker and Colleen Deegan.
Baker has been a fixture at center back in each of her two seasons as a Terp and was a third team All-Southeast Region selection by the NSCAA in 2009.
Anderson is an athletic defender that played side-by-side with Baker for much of 2009 with tremendous success. Anderson is also capable of playing out wide or at center defensive midfield is the need arises.
Deegan is a smooth defender that overcomes any shortcomings she may have with an exceptional knowledge of the game. Deegan is also one of the best free-kick specialists on the team, providing the Terps with an offensive threat.
Other defenders that will provide depth for the Terps will be senior Erika Theisen, junior Kristen McAfee and sophomore Bailey Bodell.
