Ten months later, the loss to Connecticut in the national championship game still weighs heavily in the minds of the Maryland field hockey team.
After allowing a late go-ahead goal, the Terps were left to watch the Huskies hoist the trophy, the program’s third title in the last five years. At that point, Maryland was sad that it had missed its chance — and angry that UConn’s game-winner marred its strong second half.
Now, with an undefeated record at stake, the Terps want to harness that anger — and avenge their painful title game loss — when they travel to play the Huskies on Sunday.
“Going into the game, I’m going to remember that feeling, and I’m going to get really angry,” midfielder Kyler Greenwalt said. “And I think everyone feels that way.”
Last year, Maryland overcame a 6-5 start to the season to advance to the NCAA title game. To open the 2018 campaign, the No. 3 Terps have won their first 11 games, their best start since 2013, as they prepare for a rematch with No. 2 UConn.
Maryland has toppled seven ranked teams this year, including then-No. 3 Duke and then-No. 5 Princeton. The Huskies may be the Terps’ toughest test yet, and a win could push them higher in the rankings.
Maryland players said the loss last year to UConn is what has spurred them onto a dominant start to this season. Immediately following the title-game defeat, Greenwalt told reporters that she had a feeling her team would be positioned for a deep run this year.
“Coming into this season, we all had the same energy and just the will to do it for one another,” forward Linnea Gonzales said. “We’ve come a long way since then, and we use that feeling as fire almost for where we want to be this season and how we want to compete.”
This time around, the Terps are more confident on how the Huskies will play. Maryland uses a fast-paced style, but UConn generally takes a slower approach and speeds up at select moments to catch opponents off guard. Greenwalt said players were thrown off by their pace last year, but now she’s confident her team will be able to take control in that area.
While the stakes for Sunday’s matchup may add an extra facet to the game, Greenwalt stressed the need to remain even-keeled, despite any anger she still holds on to from last year’s title game.
“What I’ve been preaching is speed of execution and technical skills and attention to detail,” coach Missy Meharg said. “If we can clean up a few things that have just been out of carelessness, we’re going to be a really strong unit. And we’re going to need to do that if we want to come out on the winning side of Sunday.”
