As soon as the Terrapin field hockey team took possession of the ball, the Terp forwards took off. Katie O’Donnell and Nicole Muracco reached the circle first, leaving many of their defenders in the dust, and after a quick pass from O’Donnell, Muracco buried the ball in the cage.
The No. 1 Terps (16-0, 4-0 ACC) scored that goal in their 4-0 victory at No. 17 Delaware on Sunday. But the fast-break setup has been a part of most of this season’s matches, whether it leads to a goal, a shot opportunity or even a penalty corner if an opponent would rather foul than face the Terp attack in open play.
“Our forwards are just so quick and so opportunistic,” coach Missy Meharg said. “When they’re moving up the field, we can count on them to make things happen.”
The same quick strikes were evident in Friday’s 6-3 win over No. 20 Old Dominion. The Terps scored their first goal on nearly the same fast-break connection, but this time O’Donnell received an assist from Muracco. Less than five minutes later, Muracco scored another breakaway goal off a pass from forward Lindsey Puckett.
It should come as no surprise, then, that this weekend Muracco and O’Donnell, the attack’s leading speedsters, moved up the program’s all-time record lists in goals and assists, respectively.
Muracco became the Terps’ career leader in goals with her two scores against the Lady Monarchs on Friday. Now at 76 goals, she surpassed Carla Tagliente’s 73 goal career record, set from 1997 to 2000.
With three assists against the Blue Hens, including her fast-break flip to Muracco, O’Donnell tied Rachel Hiskins for second place with 64 career assists, seven away from the program and ACC record.
“We feed off of that with each other,” Muracco said. “And I think that just moves all the way up the field.”
But points are not the only thing the speedy movement provides. Even if the attack can’t get off a shot on the breakaway, by simply moving inside the opponents’ 25-yard line, the Terps have the opportunity to set up plays and create other opportunities in the circle — and they avoid trading possession in the midfield.
Underclassman forwards Puckett, Janessa Pope, Kirstie Dennig and Brigitte Strother help Muracco and O’Donnell speed downfield and throw opponents’ backfields off balance. The Terps can then get chances against otherwise stalwart defenses and goalkeepers, as they did this weekend. Old Dominion’s Kelly Driscoll and Delaware’s Noelle Diana each recorded 10 saves.
The Terp forwards try to always stay aware of their surroundings and who has the ball so they are ready to take off, Pope said.
But forwards are not the only ones who use their quickness to help the team move up the field. Midfielders and backs also grab opportunities or breakaways and provide outlet passes up the sidelines to the forwards. O’Donnell wants to keep perfecting this movement so the team can speed to the cage even more smoothly.
“We have a good connection between the backs and the mids, and the mids and the forwards,” she said. “But now we need to put it together from the back to the front.”
The Terps will have to put their fast breaks to use against the dominant backfield of No. 2 North Carolina on Saturday, which allows an average of just .26 goals per game. But Muracco sees no reason the Terps’ game plan would change.
“We’re going to keep coming out every day and playing like we know how we can play,” Muracco said.
kyanchulis@umdbk.com
