Last season was more of the same for Hayley Turner. As a freshman forward on the top-ranked Terrapins field hockey team, she started frequently and contributed regularly to a prolific Terps attack, something she’d done throughout a successful youth career in England. In the team’s national championship tilt, Turner was the first to grace the scoreline.
But as the Terps attempt to defend that title this season, Turner will be asked to do the same thing: defend.
In a move that began as an experiment to try a lifelong attacking presence at central defense, coach Missy Meharg has found Turner’s conversion to be an unexpected boost for a rebuilding backline.
“Our needs on the field were for developing backfield players,” Meharg said. “Her anticipatory skills, her intercepting, her hitting, her technical skills … she’s doing tremendously well.”
Her smooth transition has been a positive in the No. 3 Terps’ (3-1) first four contests, due in large part to Turner’s offensive ability. Having spent last season at forward, Turner understands the nuances of a team’s attack, and fellow defender Ali McEvoy said that allows Turner to use her speed to intercept passes.
Turner is still adapting to some of the fundamental skills of the position, Meharg said, but both agreed the switch will benefit the Terps in the long run.
“Each game for her is a learning opportunity from that vision on the field, which is very different,” Meharg said. “She’s still working on the communication piece, because she’s just not quite sure. When she starts to get experiences from game settings, then she’s going to be right on the money.”
“I miss playing forward, but it was a good transition for me,” Turner said. “I feel now that defense is probably my preferred position to attack. I feel like I’m more utilized, and I enjoy it way more.”
Three of the team’s top defenders from 2010 — Amanda Himmelheber, Alicia Morawski and Lauren Barr — are no longer with the team, so Turner’s acclimation to the defense has become all the more important. Along with returning defenders Harriet Tibble and McEvoy, Turner will be charged with keeping the Terps as a force on the defensive end.
“We just continually work together,” McEvoy said. “I think our defense has an open mind to everything, and we’re able to communicate very easily to each other, demand things from each other and keep pushing each other.”
With an attack unit still struggling to get on the same page, the Terps’ defense this season will again be critical to their postseason chances. Turner’s development as a new defender, though, will be a variable that’s just as crucial in that effort.
“She wants to learn,” Meharg said. “She’s so athletic. She’s very fast, really fluid, and I think she’ll be very good.”
“This is my first time in the defensive line, so I see a completely different perspective,” Turner said. “Last year I wasn’t seeing things from the backfield, so it’s completely new. … I’m still learning.”
vitale@umdbk.com
