Through the first five weeks of the season, the Terrapins field hockey team has passed nearly all of its tests with ease. The team has won 10 of 11 games, has the ACC’s best offense and is ranked No. 3 in the nation, all but cementing the Terps as a national title favorite.
But with games against three of their most storied rivals — all of whom are ranked in the top 10 — the next three weeks of the season will likely be the toughest stretch of competition the Terps face all season.
They play at No. 8 Duke on Saturday, host No. 1 Old Dominion the following weekend and will travel back to Tobacco Road to face No. 2 North Carolina on Oct. 22, with games against local foes American and Towson also falling during that stretch. But even with the tough competition ahead, coach Missy Meharg said the team has to treat the games no differently than any other.
“It depends on your philosophy of coaching whether you have rivals or not,” Meharg said. “I think every game is a rivalry because you end up playing them every year.”
The Terps have found recent success against their two upcoming ACC opponents, winning three straight against Duke and defeating North Carolina three times last season, most notably in the ACC and NCAA Championships.
The team’s matchup with Old Dominion, however, is a different story. The Monarchs are the only team the Terps face twice each regular season, and before this year, the Terps had topped the Monarchs in 12 straight contests. But Old Dominion handed the Terps a 4-0 loss on Sept. 2 and will likely enter the teams’ Oct. 14 game undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country.
“The reality is, to a great team, if you get caught up in stories, you’ll find yourself behind,” Meharg said. “That’s just my coaching style. I don’t coach off revenge or these ‘rivalries’ and whatnot. Any given year it could be a close game.”
vitale@umdbk.com
