Ali McEvoy
When Under-21 U.S. National Team members Katie Gerzabek and Maxine Fluharty left on Saturday for the Pan-American Games in Mexico, there were plenty of looming questions for the Terrapins field hockey team.
What holes would their departures leave in the Terps’ offense? Which players would step up in their absence?
The Terps found the answer in two players normally accustomed to stopping the opposing attack rather than helping out their own. Defenders Ali McEvoy and Sarah Sprink exploded in Sunday’s 6-0 Dartmouth win, combining for four goals and two assists.
And when the No. 4 Terps host No. 18 Boston College in their ACC opener tonight, Missy Meharg sees the elevated play of both McEvoy and Sprink as something the whole team should be striving for.
“Everyone has grown a full year in terms of understanding how to make an impact on the field,” the 25th-year coach said. “And they’re all willing to do so — all of them have a competitive fire to perform in every game.”
After being absent from the stat sheet in the Terps’ (5-1, 0-0 ACC) first three games, McEvoy has come on strong in the last three. She scored a goal in each of the Terps’ wins over then-No. 15 Ohio State and then-No. 19 Massachusetts before notching her first career hat trick against the Big Green, leading to her selection as the ACC Co-Player of the Week.
Sprink, on the other hand, only has two games under her belt. The freshman — who recently competed in the EuroHockey Junior Championships for the German national team — made her first career appearance for the Terps on Saturday. She made her first-ever start on Sunday, scoring a goal against Dartmouth to make a strong first impression in the U.S.
“The team is just a big family, and you don’t have this that much in Germany or in Europe for that matter,” Sprink said. “You have your team, but you’re not stuck together that much. Here, we have a great time and it’s so much fun. It’s different here.”
Meharg always saw the pair as compatible teammates, starting last summer when McEvoy helped lure Sprink to College Park. Now, she says the team will be reaping the benefits that come from having an experienced veteran and a physical, athletic newcomer working together on the defensive end.
“They’re going to be a dynamic combination back there,” Meharg said. “They’re both field generals, and they recognize they share a common love for defense. They’ll be very strong together.”
They’re both part of a defense that has been seemingly impenetrable. The Terps haven’t surrendered a goal in the last 261 minutes and have allowed Ohio State, UMass and Dartmouth to get off just a combined four shots on goal.
The Terps still have two more games without Gerzabek and Fluharty, but if players like McEvoy and Sprink continue to step up in their absence, it shouldn’t be a lasting issue — even if the Eagles will provide a tougher test than the Big Green.
Meharg will be honored before the game tonight for reaching her 25th season at the helm. And the way her team has been clicking lately — even without Gerzabek and Fluharty — a blowout victory seems like a perfect way to celebrate her tenure with the Terps.
“We don’t really like to call it ‘breathing room,’” McEvoy said, “but we do really like to just play intense against our opponents, and really just keep it going on them.”
munson@umdbk.com
