At long last, the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team has a respite from what some say is the toughest schedule in the country.
When the No. 3 Terps travel to Princeton today for a battle with the Tigers, it will be the first time in more than a month that the Terps face off against an unranked opponent. And that month has been a gauntlet.
Ten of the Terps’ 13 games this season have come against opponents ranked in Inside Lacrosse’s most recent top 20, and among those, five rank in the top 10. Not surprisingly, the Terps rank first in LaxPower’s strength-of-schedule rankings.
But in the wake of a 13-9 loss to No. 2 North Carolina this weekend — the Terps’ first defeat this season — attacker Sarah Mollison said the treacherous and exhausting stretch didn’t excuse the team’s poor showing against the Tar Heels.
“Every year, Maryland plays one of the toughest schedules in the nation, and I think it just makes us better,” Mollison said. “We enjoy the challenge.”
Four days after their first loss of the season, the Terps (12-1, 3-1 ACC) return to action without the pressures of keeping a perfect record. After this weekend, only Northwestern can boast an unblemished campaign.
Coach Cathy Reese said a long-running stretch of Terp victories against ranked opponents had made the week-to-week grind stale and repetitive. Despite returning most of the starters from last season’s undefeated run to the Final Four, the team struggled to put together consistent performances.
Saturday’s loss was a wake-up call.
“We’ve had a real renewed enthusiasm and excitement to play,” Reese said. “We were getting to the point in the middle of the season where we were getting tired and worn down. It’s been nice to refresh ourselves and refocus.”
With that new energy, Reese centered the team’s two practices this week on bringing her team “back to the basics and the fundamentals of what our team is built on” — playing better team defense, winning more draws and staying as a cohesive offensive unit.
“We need to get back to playing the way we enjoy and working as a team,” Mollison said. “We have lots of energy right now, and everyone’s being really positive.”
The Tigers present another strong challenge for the Terps. Princeton started the year as the No. 9 team and only recently fell from the rankings.
“It’s tiring and challenging, but every game is a fight no matter who you play,” Reese said. “You can’t look past one team to the next. You have to be ready to play your best game every game.”
But if there is any team to bounce back against, it’s the Tigers. In two of the past three seasons, the Terps’ matchup with the Tigers came after a loss. Both games resulted in Terp wins, including an 18-9 romp the last time the team traveled up to Princeton in 2008.
ceckard@umdbk.com
