Relive any or all of the Terps game broadcasts below:
Delaware -- W 17-8
Duke -- W 18-11
Virginia -- W 18-6
George Mason -- W 21-2
Syracuse -- W 7-5
Stony Brook -- W 19-5
James Madison -- W 17-8
Towson -- W 17-8
We'll have highlights of the games up shortly for those who don't want the full 60 minutes of action.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Defending the Trophy
The date: May 30th, 2010. The dynasty was toppled, as the call goes, and the Maryland Terrapins had added a tenth National Championship trophy to their storied history.
As the months passed and players graduated, the next chapter in that history was just beginning. Minus Tewaaraton and Honda Sports Award Winner (not to mention ACC POY and Tournament MVP among many other awards) Caitlyn McFadden, who had moved on to an Assistant Coaching gig at the University of Florida, minus defensive anchor and All-American Karissa Taylor, minus a handful of other key Terps in all areas of the field, the stage was set for the Terps' title defense.
The questions were there. How would this team work offensively without McFadden? How about defensively without Taylor?
A tireless work ethic and excellent teaching and coaching from 8-time National Champion Cathy Reese (4 as a player, 3 as an assistant, and last year's as head coach) led the Terps through the Fall and Winter months and into the start of the 2011 season.
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It started just as it did last year with the Richmond Spiders at the top of the schedule. However, this year's opener wouldn't be played among the mounds of snow on the football practice field. Rather it was played on a beautiful Spring-like day in Richmond, just the kind of day that makes for great lacrosse.
The questions were answered fairly succinctly in the first 60 minutes of the season, as the Terps rolled to an 18-7 victory over the Spiders highlighted by Preseason National Player of the Year Karri Ellen Johnson's career best 7 goals and Sarah Mollison with a school record-tying 6 assists. Sophomore Katie Schwarzmann wasn't shy in adding her name to the stat sheet either, racking up 5 goals in the season opener. And after coming up huge in the ACC Tournament and on into the NCAA's, Terp netminder Brittany Dipper kept her play at an elevated level tallying 5 saves on the afternoon while allowing only 7 goals.
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As the season rolled on and the victories piled up, the Terps received a welcomed boost to their already potent attack when Senior captain Laura Merrifield returned to the lineup against the #3 Duke Blue Devils. Although inferior in goals scored, only one to her teammates Johnson's and Schwarzmann's five apiece afternoon, Merrifield's leadership was evident in the Terps first true test of the season. The 18-11 victory reinforced the team's confidence as it continued to move through the early parts of the schedule.
A few more double-digit wins, by 12 at Virginia and by 19 against George Mason, paved the way into a tough battle with the "Syracuse Stall". Syracuse Head Coach and lacrosse legend Gary Gait knew the potency of the Terps' attack and had his team milk the clock as much as possible to limit the possessions and shots Maryland had on National Goalkeeper of the Year Liz Hogan. But while the strategy paid of in the short run as the Orange held Maryland to a mere 7 goals, the Terps had the last laugh, walking away from the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex with win number 7 under their belts.
------
It's now already halfway through the 2011 Women's Lacrosse season and the #1-ranked and defending National Champion Terps are still perfect; 9-0 to be exact. Getting scoring from everywhere, 16 out of 26 (not counting the 3 goalies) Terps have tallied at least a goal this season, the Terps have only scored in single-digits once (the Syracuse Stall game). Maryland has already knocked off #16 Penn State, #3 Duke, #5 Virginia (on the road), #12 Syracuse, and #20 Boston College (road win) and still have 5 more chances to rack up the wins over top 25 opponents in #10 James Madison, #4 Penn, #6 North Carolina, #13 Princeton (all at home) and #20 Georgetown on the road.
With one of, if not THE toughest schedule in collegiate lacrosse, the road back to the title game is not paved smoothly with flowers and trees lining the way. The goals are coming in bunches, the defense is stonewalling excellent attackers, The Big Dipper is telling everyone to "get off her lawn" as Brian eloquently puts it, and the Terps are looking to keep the pedal to the metal. Stony Brook or bust.
-Jason Murphy
As the months passed and players graduated, the next chapter in that history was just beginning. Minus Tewaaraton and Honda Sports Award Winner (not to mention ACC POY and Tournament MVP among many other awards) Caitlyn McFadden, who had moved on to an Assistant Coaching gig at the University of Florida, minus defensive anchor and All-American Karissa Taylor, minus a handful of other key Terps in all areas of the field, the stage was set for the Terps' title defense.
The questions were there. How would this team work offensively without McFadden? How about defensively without Taylor?
A tireless work ethic and excellent teaching and coaching from 8-time National Champion Cathy Reese (4 as a player, 3 as an assistant, and last year's as head coach) led the Terps through the Fall and Winter months and into the start of the 2011 season.
------
It started just as it did last year with the Richmond Spiders at the top of the schedule. However, this year's opener wouldn't be played among the mounds of snow on the football practice field. Rather it was played on a beautiful Spring-like day in Richmond, just the kind of day that makes for great lacrosse.
The questions were answered fairly succinctly in the first 60 minutes of the season, as the Terps rolled to an 18-7 victory over the Spiders highlighted by Preseason National Player of the Year Karri Ellen Johnson's career best 7 goals and Sarah Mollison with a school record-tying 6 assists. Sophomore Katie Schwarzmann wasn't shy in adding her name to the stat sheet either, racking up 5 goals in the season opener. And after coming up huge in the ACC Tournament and on into the NCAA's, Terp netminder Brittany Dipper kept her play at an elevated level tallying 5 saves on the afternoon while allowing only 7 goals.
------
As the season rolled on and the victories piled up, the Terps received a welcomed boost to their already potent attack when Senior captain Laura Merrifield returned to the lineup against the #3 Duke Blue Devils. Although inferior in goals scored, only one to her teammates Johnson's and Schwarzmann's five apiece afternoon, Merrifield's leadership was evident in the Terps first true test of the season. The 18-11 victory reinforced the team's confidence as it continued to move through the early parts of the schedule.
A few more double-digit wins, by 12 at Virginia and by 19 against George Mason, paved the way into a tough battle with the "Syracuse Stall". Syracuse Head Coach and lacrosse legend Gary Gait knew the potency of the Terps' attack and had his team milk the clock as much as possible to limit the possessions and shots Maryland had on National Goalkeeper of the Year Liz Hogan. But while the strategy paid of in the short run as the Orange held Maryland to a mere 7 goals, the Terps had the last laugh, walking away from the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex with win number 7 under their belts.
------
It's now already halfway through the 2011 Women's Lacrosse season and the #1-ranked and defending National Champion Terps are still perfect; 9-0 to be exact. Getting scoring from everywhere, 16 out of 26 (not counting the 3 goalies) Terps have tallied at least a goal this season, the Terps have only scored in single-digits once (the Syracuse Stall game). Maryland has already knocked off #16 Penn State, #3 Duke, #5 Virginia (on the road), #12 Syracuse, and #20 Boston College (road win) and still have 5 more chances to rack up the wins over top 25 opponents in #10 James Madison, #4 Penn, #6 North Carolina, #13 Princeton (all at home) and #20 Georgetown on the road.
With one of, if not THE toughest schedule in collegiate lacrosse, the road back to the title game is not paved smoothly with flowers and trees lining the way. The goals are coming in bunches, the defense is stonewalling excellent attackers, The Big Dipper is telling everyone to "get off her lawn" as Brian eloquently puts it, and the Terps are looking to keep the pedal to the metal. Stony Brook or bust.
-Jason Murphy
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