Ask a Terrapin women’s lacrosse player about an upcoming opponent and chances are she won’t have much insight to give on that team’s strategy or tendencies.
Coach Cathy Reese has a different way of preparing her players for opponents. She believes it’s the coaches’ responsibility to understand the opponent while it’s the players’ responsibility to focus on their own performance.
In the days before a game, the Terps watch film of their past games and see where they can improve. But the focus lies solely on their team and nobody else.
“As a coach, I’m a big believer that it’s our job to scout the opponent, and the kids should worry about what we tell them,” Reese said. “I’m not going to fill their heads with what’s unnecessary.”
So when asked to explain the tactics of No. 12 New Hampshire, their opponent tomorrow, two upperclassmen could only say, “I don’t know.” Reese said she believes her team is talented enough and that if they play the way they’ve learned, everything else should take care of itself.
“They need to focus playing great lacrosse and playing the best that they can play,” Reese said. “I think if each of them work on that, then this Maryland team can be unstoppable. Sometimes they don’t even know what they’re preparing for, they’re just prepared.”
When the Wildcats come to College Park for the second straight year, the No. 2 Terps (5-0, 2-0 ACC) will treat it like any other game and look to improve in areas in which they have fallen short before.
“We know they’re going to come out fighting and not looking to lose,” midfielder Caitlyn McFadden said of the Wildcats, adding that she knew they were ranked.
Midfielder Laura Merrifield added, “To be honest, we’re just focusing on Maryland.”
Though Reese said the team takes a game-by-game attitude, her coaching style warrants preparation for the long run, which means gearing up for a national championship.
New Hampshire (4-1) is the first of four consecutive teams the Terps will face at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. The almost two-week home stand is the longest of the year for the Terps and includes important top-20 matchups.
“I love the challenge and the competition,” Reese said. “It’s good for our team as we try to become the best we can be. We can only do that if we are challenging ourselves against the top teams in the country.”
The Wildcats enter tomorrow’s game coming off their first loss of the season, against Harvard in double overtime. Before that, New Hampshire won four straight and began rapidly advancing in the polls.
For the second straight year, though, the Wildcats will face the Terps in College Park.
Once again, the Terps hope to use their high-speed attack to run away from New Hampshire with quick goals. With school out of session for spring break, the Terps can concentrate even more on their play while allowing the coaches to focus on their opponent.
“There’s no stress of classes and all that,” Merrifield said. “There’s a lot of time to chill and bond as a team.”
ceckard@umdbk.com
