After a near-perfect regular season, the No. 1-ranked field hockey team heads into the postseason prepared to defend its ACC and NCAA titles. The repeat attempt will begin this weekend, when the Terps (18-1) play in the ACC tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The conference boasts some of the best teams in the country, and all six ACC teams finished the season ranked in the top 10 in the STX/NFHCA poll. The Terps’ only loss came to in-conference foe Duke, but they still outscored ACC opponents 14 to 5.
Heading into the tournament, the Terps also bring with them recent accolades for many of their top players.
The ACC named senior captain Paula Infante ACC Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday for the second straight season, and it also named senior back Kristina Edmonds, junior goalkeeper Kathryn Masson, sophomore back Susie Rowe and freshman forward Nicole Muracco to the all-ACC team.
But even with all their star power and dominance this season, the Terps know anything can happen in Chapel Hill this weekend.
“No one has won [the ACC] yet,” said midfielder Berber Rischen. “There are six teams that can all win it. We’re first [in the conference], and we’ve beaten four of the five teams now, but that doesn’t mean anything. Anyone can win.”
Head coach Missy Meharg said a restful week for the team will be crucial in fueling a successful run in the tournament. The players had last weekend off, and many said they wanted to relax as much as possible this week.
“My first expectation is that they take care of themselves in preparation for postseason in terms of maturity off the field,” Meharg said. “They have the weekend off to get sleep, plan ahead in their studies, make sure they’re spending time with their boyfriends, partners, families and really take care of themselves in preparation to take our game to another level.”
The No. 1-seeded Terps will begin that quest this afternoon, when they face No. 5-seeded Virginia in the semifinal game at 4 p.m. If the Terps beat the Cavaliers, which they did easily earlier in the season, they will play in the championship game Sunday afternoon.
Regardless of the opponent, several Terps said they know they can perform even better than their 18-1 record shows.
“We’re ready, but we can definitely step it up a gear,” Rowe said. “There’s still a lot of potential in us that we haven’t unleashed yet. Individually, there is nervousness, but as a team we are confident that we can go out and play like we know how to play.”
Contact reporter Geremy Bass at geremybass@gmail.com.
