After every game, Maryland women’s soccer coach Ray Leone insists on pressing the pause button.
As the Maryland women’s soccer team reviews film after each contest, coach Ray Leone is meticulous with his corrections. He often refrains from talking over the tape or stopping the footage when a play develops, but each time he recognizes a lapse in communication, he pauses.
With the screen frozen, Leone explains which players on the field should have been discussing their offensive approach and who should have been pursuing the ball on defense.
Through Maryland’s first nine games, Leone’s findings have been consistent: The Terps’ defensive third needs to be more vocal when opposing teams are attacking inside the box. The need showed in Maryland’s 1-0 loss to No. 22 Rutgers on Friday, when the backline’s lack of consistent communication led to the Scarlet Knights’ point.
“The Rutgers game was kind of a wakeup call,” goalkeeper Katelyn Jensen said. “We have to get together and communicate what our differences are so we can be prepared for those situations in the future.”
Rutgers midfielder Nicole Whitley shot a free kick on a line toward the goal in the ninth minute as the Terps defense was arranged in front of the net. But Maryland’s defenders didn’t communicate with Jensen, and as a result, the ball rolled into the lower-right corner of the net to give the Scarlet Knights a lead they didn’t relinquish.
Though Rutgers didn’t capitalize on future tries, Maryland’s communication frustrations were evident.
With about eight minutes remaining in the first half, midfielder Jlon Flippens was one-on-one defending a Rutgers forward driving toward the goal. As Jensen inched out of the net to assist her, Flippens kicked the ball out of bounds.
Immediately, Flippens and Jensen glanced at each other and lifted their hands in the air.
Then with about 21 minutes remaining in regulation, midfielder Hope Gouterman and Jensen spoke for about 15 seconds in front of the goal after a Rutgers shot missed wide. As Jensen prepared for a goal kick, she shook her head and pointed toward midfield, insisting a Scarlet Knights midfielder was wide open.
“It’s about partnerships, and we’re still trying to figure that out,” Leone said. “It’s partnering up with people on your side of the field. We’ve been moving around people so much, it’s probably been hard for them to get comfortable, but that’s what we’ve had to do.”
The Terps have 14 new players on the roster and have turned to several freshmen early this season. Against the Scarlet Knights, four freshmen saw time and were challenged to communicate effectively. Defender Julia New, who made her first career start, was among them.
While Maryland continues to emphasize communication as a team, Leone is pleased with Gouterman and Flippens’ ability to speak to each other routinely in the midfield.
“They were really connected,” Leone said. “Their cover of each other [stood out]. You could see one going for it and the other covering it really well. It was a really good step in the right direction against a final four team.”
Forward Jarena Harmon believes improved communication will come from the team focusing for every minute of the game. For Jensen, the vocal aspect of the game stems from communicating playing styles, which the Terps are trying to sort through as they review game film.
“It mainly comes on the practice field, we have to communicate our specific tendencies,” Jensen said. “It’s something we will continue to work on on the practice field and [something] we talked about in video sessions and meetings.”
