Defender Sarah Sprink fights for the ball during the Terps’ 4-0 win over Rutgers on Oct. 19.
Brooke Cabrera dove to her right midway through the first half on Sunday to insure a deflected shot didn’t find the back of the cage. The Terrapins field hockey goalkeeper never made contact with the ball, though, and it harmlessly rolled wide of the goal.
Then 11 minutes later Cabrera dropped to the ground again. And like before, she wasn’t needed to make a save. Midfielder Maxine Fluharty came flying off the end line on a penalty corner to block the Scarlet Knights’ shot 15 yards from Cabrera.
The two instances marked the only occasions Rutgers threatened to score in the first half and neither was on goal. The Terps defense locked down all game long to hold the Scarlet Knights to five shots en route to a 4-0 win.
“Our backfield was stellar in terms of their tackles, their intercepting,” coach Missy Meharg said. “Just couldn’t be more pleased.”
The Terps defense has been solid all season averaging 1.13 goals per game, which is eighth best in the country and tops in the Big Ten. Sunday, however, the Terps were even more dominant than they had been lately.
Entering the matchup with Rutgers, the Terps were coming off back-to-back blowout wins in which they had allowed just one total goal. Still, the Terps had relied more on Cabrera in both instances.
Against Princeton, the Terps surrendered 13 shots and a goal. And despite earning a shutout against Penn, the Terps allowed 10 shots including seven penalty corners. The defense in both games was strong, but Sunday proved the group is only getting better as the season wears on.
“We are all getting comfortable with each other,” defender Sarah Sprink said. “We are finding a way to not let shots on goal.”
The Terps back line represents a variety of experience paired with new players. Sprink, a junior, joins redshirt junior Kasey Tapman and senior Steffi Schneid as the veteran leaders on defense. But they have been forced to adapt this season to freshman Carrie Hanks and sophomore Rachel Frusher, who didn’t play in a game last season.
Sprink, who mans the middle of the field and is the last line of defense before Cabrera, is the focal point on the stout defense.
“We have been able to build the people around her,” Fluharty said. “Especially with the new combination this year, we have a lot different backfield than in the past and so her confidence is at a peak.”
Whenever Rutgers seemed poised to lead an offensive break, Sprink was there to prevent the Scarlet Knights from threatening deep in the Terps’ end. But her success is also attributed to the play of her fellow defenders.
“We have a great support team around her so she is able to make those fantastic plays and use her skills to her advantage,” Fluharty said. “That has been really helpful.”
In Sunday’s match, the Terps excelled in thwarting Rutgers whenever they tried to penetrate the 16-yard circle. And in field hockey, a goal only counts if the shot is taken from within that area.
Therefore, a focal point has been building a strong defense around the edge. A big proponent of the Terps’ success in creating that wall has been the growing communication between the players who hadn’t played together before.
“They have to be very innovative to go through us right now because we are so talkative,” Sprink said.
All afternoon Rutgers struggled to find holes in the Terps defense. And in the first half especially, the Terps made Cabrera’s job in net easy. As a result the back line earned its sixth shutout of the season and continues to grow together in the final games before the Big Ten Tournament.
“It’s just showing that going toward the end of the season and towards postseason that we are getting more and more comfortable and we know each other better,” Sprink said.
