Near the end of No. 10 Maryland field hockey’s 2-1 loss to No. 17 Princeton on Tuesday, Tigers coaches Carla Tagliente and Dina Rizzo paced along the sideline, where they had vocally guided their team for most of the night.
While the Tigers held possession, the Terps remained aggressive, seeking a final shooting opportunity.
Typically reserved Maryland coach Missy Meharg inched closer to the Terps’ half of the field. She began shouting instructions to her players. But her unusual expression of urgency didn’t lead to an equaling goal.
The final whistle gave Tagliente and Rizzo, who both played at Maryland under Meharg, bragging rights over their former mentor. Princeton secured its second win in the past eight meetings between the teams.
“There are a lot of Terps out there,” Meharg said. “Whether they’re coaching or owning clubs, you know it’s going to be a master of a game. I’m super proud of them, but when we see them again, it’s going to be a different outcome.”
Tagliente and Rizzo were on Maryland’s 1999 championship squad, and early in their careers, Meharg paired them together as “Top Terps,” which she does to acclimate the younger players with those who have been on the team before. After she graduated, Tagliente was one of Meharg’s volunteer assistant coaches. Rizzo was an associate head coach for six seasons.
During their time in College Park, Tagliente and Rizzo aspired to coach together. An opportunity arrived when Tagliente took the helm at UMass, as Rizzo joined the Minutewomen as an assistant.
Though Meharg’s team topped Princeton, 2-1, last season, Tagliente and Rizzo helped Princeton receive its first NCAA tournament at-large bid in program history. Both expected Maryland to utilize a high-press defense to disrupt their squad in the rematch, defining characteristics of the Terps teams they once played on.
While Maryland brought pressure, Princeton’s backline kept the Terps off the board in opening period, helping it secure the upset.
“Their work rate, that’s what Maryland’s all about,” Tagliente said. “They bring a lot of pressure on attack and defense. Those things have never changed for them.”
Tagliente and Rizzo also admired Meharg’s ability to make everything into a “healthy” competition. So, Tagliente said the staff took that approach to Princeton, something that helped it bounce back from a slow start to the season.
The Tigers lost to then-No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Penn State over their first five contests. But a win in College Park has stabilized the unit before it enters Ivy League play.
After watching the Terps react to defender Bodil Keus’ penalty stroke goal, Tagliente joked that the team’s celebrations have evolved. When Tagliente and Rizzo were in College Park, the team would jump on the goal line and on top of the goal after a scoring play.
On Tuesday, the Terps only had one chance to celebrate, something Meharg plans to change in advance of Friday’s contest against No. 19 Iowa and the next matchup with Tagliente and Rizzo’s Tigers.
The Princeton coaching staff, meanwhile, wouldn’t be surprised to see a rejuvenated Terps team in their next meeting.
“[That program has] been one of the best for the 30 years since Missy has been here,” Tagliente said. “They’re having a great time and it’s a great place to be a student-athlete.”
