This season was supposed to be different for the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team. The Terps reiterated that it was a new year, a new team and a new circumstance. They made a strong case throughout the season, but in big games with championships on the line they fell flat. And as they trudged off the field after being upset by Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament, they were left to ponder what could have been.
For the Terps it was a national-championship-or-bust season, and although they did not reach their top goal, they reached milestones and records along the way.
“I have a lot of regrets, but this was a great season,” senior midfielder Kelly Kasper said. “Although we didn’t get that national championship, we still accomplished a lot of our goals.”
“It’s always tough when your season ends,” coach Cathy Reese said. “Everyone’s season comes to an end at one time or another, and only one team can win in the end. I am so proud of this team, and it’s important to remember that one game doesn’t define a season.”
Although one game terminated the season, the team’s body of work was impressive. The team’s 18 wins was its highest total since 2003 and its .857 win percentage was the highest since the national championship team in 2001 that went undefeated. The Terps never trailed a game at halftime this season.
The Terps followed each loss, except for the season-ending tournament loss, with an impressive win.
Following a loss to Duke in he waning seconds, the Terps bounced back to upset then-No. 2 Virginia 8-5, for the first time since 2003. Then after the meltdown in Charlottesville where a disastrous second half cost the Terps the ACC title, they dismantled then-No. 6 Princeton 18-9 on the road.
Senior attacker Casey Magor went as far as saying the team felt sorry for Princeton following their loss to Virginia in the ACC title game, because the Terps knew they would come out with a fire under them.
The Terps finished the season second in the nation in points with 477 and sixth in scoring offense with nearly 15 goals per game. Additionally, the fifth-ranked defense allowed less than eight goals per game.
They also accomplished a lot individually. Senior midfielder Dana Dobbie and Kasper engraved their names in the record books. Dobbie led the nation with draw controls by setting both the career and single season records. Dobbie was named also named ACC Player of the Year.
Kasper finished fifth in team history with 102 career assists and seventh in points with 244. Kasper’s 44 assists were good for the fifth best single season in Terps history, while Dobbie finished with 70 goals, good enough for the sixth best single season in team history.
The duo was tabbed as Tewaaraton Trophy finalists, WomensLax.com All-Americans, and nominees for the Collegiate Women Sports Award.
“I am so thankful that I got to be a part of this team and this journey,” Dobbie said. “You can’t define yourself in games won and games lost, but you can define yourself with the friends surrounding you. They made me the best lacrosse player I could be.”
Although the Terps will lose 10 seniors to graduation, they still have a solid foundation to build from. A quartet of sophomores, midfielders Caitlyn McFadden and Amanda Spinnenweber and defenders Karissa Taylor and Katie Gallagher, showed a lot of promise this year.
“This 2008 team is one to remember,” Reese said. “There is something really special, and I believe they are one of the best teams to come through Maryland.
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