Terrapin field hockey player Kim Ziegler normally spends her Tuesday nights resting up from a week of games and practices, catching up on school work and just enjoying a day off from practice.
But that was not the case last night, as Ziegler and her teammates practiced at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in preparation for the team’s second and final Wednesday game of the season, tonight at home against Princeton at 7 p.m. The Terps beat American 4-0 on the road last Wednesday in their first mid-week test of the season.
Besides a Monday game Aug. 27 and the two Wednesday contests, all the Terps’ other games are Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.
“We’re just good at molding to our schedule,” Ziegler said. “Whatever we have set for us, we work around it. We know that we usually have off on Tuesdays, but we had off on Sunday, and we just come out to practice hard and do whatever we have to do to play to the best of our ability on Wednesday.”
Terp coach Missy Meharg thinks in some ways her players have it easy by getting the week of practice split up.
“I think the girls really like it because practice is usually a little lighter as you lead up to games, so I think they’ve had a good week. And [yesterday]’s practice was a lot of fun.”
But that doesn’t mean the Terps, who are now 9-0 after Saturday’s 3-2 win over No. 4 Wake Forest, can afford to take it easy against the Tigers.
“The thing to keep in mind, whether it’s Wednesday or Saturday or Sunday, there’s a standard [of play] to be met,” Meharg said.
There is a different dynamic to playing in the middle of the week with classes to attend in the morning before taking the field.
“I’d rather play on the weekend if I had the choice just because I’m used to just getting up and getting ready to play,” sophomore back Bri Davies said.
It’s also the Terps’ first true night game of the season. Ziegler said she is looking forward to the game because with the 7 p.m. start time, it’s easier to draw more students. Ziegler also said it should give the Terps a break from the heat, and she is excited several of her younger teammates will get their first opportunity to play under the lights at their home facility.
Davies said mid-week games are important because they can give the team momentum heading into the weekend. The No. 2 Terps host No. 19 Virginia in their third ACC contest Saturday before Temple comes on Sunday.
And the team may face those opponents without an off day this week leading up to the weekend because of the mid-week game. Meharg said she hasn’t decided whether the team will practice Thursday and Friday, but she noted the Terps can help their own cause.
“We’ll see how we play [today],” Meharg said.
n Terp Note: Freshman forward/ midfielder Katie O’Donnell was selected as ACC Player of the Week yesterday for the second time this season. O’Donnell, who leads the conference in points, got the honor thanks to a goal and an assist in the Terps’ 4-0 win over American last Wednesday and two goals, including the game-winner, against Wake Forest on Saturday. O’Donnell also received the honor Sept. 4 and was named National Rookie of the Week the following week.
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