Red Shift Junior Kasey Tapman fights for the ball at the Maryland Terrapin’s Field Hockey game against Rutgers on Sunday.
When the Terrapins field hockey team lines up for an offensive penalty corner at home, coach Missy Meharg is playing a numbers game. After using seven players on the set play last season, Meharg has added an eighth around the circle.
Defenses are only allowed four positional players inside half on penalty corners, so the Terps have double the attackers the opposition can defend. The additional player paid dividends against Rutgers Sunday as midfielder Maxine Fluharty corralled a rebound on a corner and flipped it into the back of the cage.
The goal was one of three in the game that came off a corner in the Terps’ 4-0 win over the Scarlet Knights. Meharg’s new tactic does leave room for a counterattack, though, which is why the coach only uses it on surfaces she trusts, like the Terps’ Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.
“I’m comfortable with our field, meaning that it’s not bumpy,” Meharg said. “We aren’t going to mistrap a ball.”
The eight players on or within the opponent’s 16-yard circle means the Terps only have two defenders — Kasey Tapman and Rachel Frusher — and goalkeeper Brooke Cabrera covering the rest of the field. If the Terps don’t settle the corner, then the other team has a 6-on-2 break.
It’s a situation that has the opportunity to occur many times during a game. The Terps average more than eight penalty corners per contest, which ranks sixth in the nation.
So when the Terps line up along the opponent’s circle, they are thinking about what they need to do if a shot is blocked or a stopper fails to trap the ball.
“We always have to be aware of our counterstructure, and what’s going to happen if something goes wrong and the ball gets popped out,” Fluharty said. “We know that we have to keep it wide and just try to buy as much time as we can.”
Despite the chance for odd-man counterattacks, it hasn’t proven costly for the Terps. Of the Terps’ 14 penalty corners Sunday, just one resulted in a quick counterattack, and the Terps were able to prevent Rutgers from scoring at the other end.
The Terps rely heavily on Tapman and Frusher to make the appropriate decisions if a counterattack does present itself. And Cabrera has proven this season she isn’t afraid to be aggressive on breakaway chances.
“With Brooke in the back, those three, they know what to do,” defender Sarah Sprink said. “They know how to organize and then talk to the people.”
With the trust she has in her defense, Meharg is comfortable taking the chance on offense. It allows assistant coach Joppe de Vries an additional player when forming plays. Plus, the likelihood of the Terps getting a stick on a potential rebound increases.
The strategy has helped the Terps dominate penalty corners this season. The Terps have scored on 22 corners this season, which is more than double Michigan State’s nine goals — good enough for second best in the Big Ten.
“When you have those numbers and those advantages, that’s why I keep saying get penalty corners and don’t give them up,” Meharg said.
The Terps have done just that this season, taking 121 corners compared to the 67 they have allowed. And with all four of the Terps’ potential NCAA tournament games likely being played at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex, Meharg will continue to utilize the extra attacker knowing her defense can handle it.
“It’s a risk,” Sprink said, “but it’s a risk we are willing to take.”
