Attacker Alex Aust and the Terps are looking to capture their fourth consecutive ACC Championship.
Coming off a national championship game appearance and entering the 2012 season ranked behind only Northwestern, the No. 5 Terrapins women’s lacrosse team began the year as, without question, the class of the ACC.
More than two months later, that claim has been shaken. Losses to conference rivals No. 3 North Carolina and No. 8 Duke left the Terps (13-3, 3-2 ACC) with a disappointing No. 3 seed in this weekend’s ACC Tournament.
Now, they will have to defeat Virginia Tech (9-6, 1-4) today in the first round before they can even begin to think about the Blue Devils, who have a first-round bye and await the Terps-Hokies winner tomorrow.
To redeem last May’s loss in the national championship game, the Terps will need several streaks to continue. They have never lost a first-round game in the history of the tournament and are unblemished all time against the Hokies, traditionally the cellar dweller of the ACC. The Terps have won three straight ACC Championships and still have a shot at their third consecutive national championship game appearance.
Those are the expectations this lacrosse team faces year in and year out. It comes with the territory of a program that has won 10 national championships.
Upperclassmen, such as junior attacker Alex Aust, have already become accustomed to the pressure. But younger players, such as her sister, freshman defender Nicole Aust, are readying themselves for their first postseason experience.
Both view it as just another on-field experience to share together.
“We played three sports together in high school, so we’re pretty used to being with each other all the time,” Alex said. “I love playing with her on the field, and she’s my best friend off the field.”
Both products of The Bullis School in Montgomery County, the Aust sisters have been playing lacrosse together since fourth grade. After Alex had a successful beginning to her collegiate career, both she and their father, Jon Aust, tried to stay out of Nicole’s decision-making process as much as possible.
When it came time to pick a school, though, Nicole wasn’t willing to miss a chance to play with her best friend once again.
“I think she always wanted to come to Maryland,” Alex said. “She just saw the team, she knew all my friends and she knew everyone on the team already, so it was an easy transition for her to come here.”
Although Nicole has appeared in only seven games this season, she says she’s learning from some of the best. It’s hard to disagree.
The Terps have scored nearly twice as many goals as they’ve allowed this year and are atop the ACC in turnovers, caused turnovers and save percentage. They also rank second in average goals against in the conference.
Junior defender Iliana Sanza, who was the top returning defensive player this season, is third in the ACC in groundballs and second in caused turnovers. Sanza, midfielder Katie Schwarzmann, attacker Karri Ellen Johnson and Alex Aust were named All-ACC honorees yesterday.
“It’s awesome being a part of this defense,” Nicole said. “We’re really young, but we’re not playing like it. Our juniors, Iliana [Sanza] and Melissa [Diepold], have really been stepping up all season, and [goalie Brittany] Dipper’s doing really great with leading us down there. It’s nice, and it’s really comforting for me to learn from them.”
Overall, the postseason is arriving at precisely the right time for the Terps, who have won eight of their past nine games.
Alex Aust, for one, has already adopted an NCAA Tournament mentality for the conference tournament. She’s committed to extending the team’s hot streak far into spring.
“It’s kind of one and done for us,” she said. “If we lose, we’re kind of out, so we’re just trying to lengthen our season as much as possible so that we can keep playing with this team.”
munson@umdbk.com
