During the preseason, players on the Terrapin field hockey team weren’t shy about saying which opponent they had highlighted on this season’s schedule.
After losing to North Carolina in last year’s national championship game, the Terps made it obvious: They wanted another shot at the Tar Heels.
But with arguably the team’s biggest game of the season just three days away, the No. 2 Terps can’t be caught looking forward to Saturday’s grudge match, as a midweek contest with No. 7 American tonight could pose just as many problems.
Beating American (13-2) won’t be a cakewalk for the Terps (14-1). The Eagles’ two losses came at the hands of No. 20 Old Dominion and No. 10 Louisville by a combined two goals. American also topped Princeton, 3-2, just five days after the Tigers handed the Terps their first and only loss of the season.
And even though players acknowledged the importance of their highly anticipated rematch with North Carolina, they said their attention remains on the present.
“We’re focused on this game,” forward Katie O’Donnell said. “We’re always focused on our next game. We’re excited to play UNC, but we still need to keep our standard of play at a good level against American. We don’t want to go into the North Carolina game with a loss, so we want to win this game to prepare us for the next one.”
For the Terps to be successful against American, they’ll need to continue their recent string of fast starts and high-scoring outputs. Led by O’Donnell and midfielder Megan Frazer, the Terps have scored 28 goals during their past four games. They even scored a season-high 11 goals against Pacific on Oct. 10, a first for the program in nearly a decade.
“If you take a look at our players and look at their statistical background, we’ve got players who have scored a lot of goals, either through club, high school or for their country,” coach Missy Meharg said. “So I’m not all that surprised that we’re scoring goals. What I am pleasantly surprised about is how well these women are accepting their roles and the diversification of the goal scoring.”
American won’t make it easy for the Terps to get on the board as often as they have in recent weeks. Led by goalkeeper Hannah Weitzman (.750 save percentage), the Eagle defense boasts an impressive 1.00 goals against average and five shutouts.
Perhaps more striking is the fact that American hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a game all season. The Eagles’ two losses this year came in their second and third games of the season and were both 2-1 results.
“It’s a stronger team than it was at the beginning of the year. They dropped a couple games early on, so we’re anticipating a great American team like they’ve had in the past,” said Meharg, whose Terps have scored more than two goals in 13 of their 15 games this season. “We’re going to need to take really good shots and quality shots. Their goalie has been on a good run the last couple of games.”
American isn’t lacking on the offensive side of the ball either, and the team’s passing is one of the best in the nation. Eleven Eagles have an assist this season, and eight players have reached double-digit point totals.
The potency of American’s attack, paired with its stifling defense, has kept the Terps from planning for Saturday’s game against North Carolina. Meharg said that daunting task begins tomorrow.
“We know we have UNC,” Meharg said. “But I don’t think anybody is looking past American.”
jengelke@umdbk.com
