This is my report from yesterday afternoon on W-Lax demolition of W&M:
Junior attacking mid Katie Schwarzmann, who some say is the fastest player in the women's game in Div !, led with 5 goals, co-led w/ 3 ground balls, and added 2 draw controls and 2 caused turnovers as the Terps squashed William & Mary 19-8. Schwarzmann was already one of the finest players in the nation as a soph last year and she showed every indication of stepping things up now that Sarah Mollison has graduated.
The other big stories involved returning players. One that we were seeing in action for the first time ever was red-shirt freshman Brooke Griffin who had 4 goals on the day. This highly touted athlete missed all of last year with a knee injury. She wasted no time this year, cracking the starting lineup and scoring early and often. This young woman is showing signs of being everything we were told she would be two years ago.
However, all eyes were on returning senior star Karri Ellen Johnson who came back after missing the majority of last season with a concussion. She was no worse for wear today with 2 goals on the afternoon. Beth Glaros added three goals; junior Alex Aust had a big day with 2 goals and 2 assists.
Keep in mind that the Terp leaders got these stats despite the fact that Maryland got so far ahead so early, that Coach Cathy Reese was clearing her bench at the end of the 1st half when the 10-goal mercy rule was already in effect. Reese used 25 players -- nearly all of the people currently available.
Reese is going with a very young lineup, including one redshirt freshman (Griffin) and three VERY impressive true freshman: defender Meg Douty, defender Shanna Brady, and mid Kelly McPartland, who like Griffin, got her first points in a Maryland uniform: 2 goals and 1 assist. McPartland is for real! She has the athleticism, skills, and lax brains -- all she has to do is do what the coaches tell her and she is a future star. She and Griffin really impressed bigtime.
So did Douty and Brady on defense. With all the graduation losses on the backline, Iliana Sanza is the only returning starter. Melissa Diepold, a junior, is the other defender and also a 1st time starter. This group is the key to whether Maryland can maintain the levels of the past three seasons. They are athletic and skilled -- maybe a bit more athletic than the group they replace but far less experienced. They will have to learn quickly BUT...
They have the finest goalie in the nation behind them. Brittany Dipper comes back for her senior year and is ready to control matters from the back. Having her behind the backline is the nation's best insurance policy.
There were so many solid performances from the Terp reserves, there isn't really room to recognize everyone, but some of the newbies who stood out included freshman attacker Kristen Lamon, a tall, fast athlete who recorded two assists and say a lot of time off the bench; Erin Collins, a fast, tough Long Islander was solid in the midfield; Camilla Hayes, the tall Englishwoman and a junior mid who took a lot of the draw controls and was effective in that role; and soph Annie Farrell who appears to be the first defender off the bench and did a nice job while she was in. One happy story is senior Bria Phillips who transferred in from UMBC two years ago, saw some action last year, and is now contributing off the bench in the midfield. We also saw briefly for the first time Nicole Aust, younger sister of Alex who started. These are just some of the many performers who looked good today.
I must give credit to William & Mary who fought hard during this game. Even when Maryland ran the score up in the 1st half, the Tribe came back strong in the second half and made a good account of themselves. They played like they had nothing to lose and are proof that there are now plenty of good unranked teams in Div. 1.
Maryland's next game is Thursday at home vs. Delaware.
Junior attacking mid Katie Schwarzmann, who some say is the fastest player in the women's game in Div !, led with 5 goals, co-led w/ 3 ground balls, and added 2 draw controls and 2 caused turnovers as the Terps squashed William & Mary 19-8. Schwarzmann was already one of the finest players in the nation as a soph last year and she showed every indication of stepping things up now that Sarah Mollison has graduated.
The other big stories involved returning players. One that we were seeing in action for the first time ever was red-shirt freshman Brooke Griffin who had 4 goals on the day. This highly touted athlete missed all of last year with a knee injury. She wasted no time this year, cracking the starting lineup and scoring early and often. This young woman is showing signs of being everything we were told she would be two years ago.
However, all eyes were on returning senior star Karri Ellen Johnson who came back after missing the majority of last season with a concussion. She was no worse for wear today with 2 goals on the afternoon. Beth Glaros added three goals; junior Alex Aust had a big day with 2 goals and 2 assists.
Keep in mind that the Terp leaders got these stats despite the fact that Maryland got so far ahead so early, that Coach Cathy Reese was clearing her bench at the end of the 1st half when the 10-goal mercy rule was already in effect. Reese used 25 players -- nearly all of the people currently available.
Reese is going with a very young lineup, including one redshirt freshman (Griffin) and three VERY impressive true freshman: defender Meg Douty, defender Shanna Brady, and mid Kelly McPartland, who like Griffin, got her first points in a Maryland uniform: 2 goals and 1 assist. McPartland is for real! She has the athleticism, skills, and lax brains -- all she has to do is do what the coaches tell her and she is a future star. She and Griffin really impressed bigtime.
So did Douty and Brady on defense. With all the graduation losses on the backline, Iliana Sanza is the only returning starter. Melissa Diepold, a junior, is the other defender and also a 1st time starter. This group is the key to whether Maryland can maintain the levels of the past three seasons. They are athletic and skilled -- maybe a bit more athletic than the group they replace but far less experienced. They will have to learn quickly BUT...
They have the finest goalie in the nation behind them. Brittany Dipper comes back for her senior year and is ready to control matters from the back. Having her behind the backline is the nation's best insurance policy.
There were so many solid performances from the Terp reserves, there isn't really room to recognize everyone, but some of the newbies who stood out included freshman attacker Kristen Lamon, a tall, fast athlete who recorded two assists and say a lot of time off the bench; Erin Collins, a fast, tough Long Islander was solid in the midfield; Camilla Hayes, the tall Englishwoman and a junior mid who took a lot of the draw controls and was effective in that role; and soph Annie Farrell who appears to be the first defender off the bench and did a nice job while she was in. One happy story is senior Bria Phillips who transferred in from UMBC two years ago, saw some action last year, and is now contributing off the bench in the midfield. We also saw briefly for the first time Nicole Aust, younger sister of Alex who started. These are just some of the many performers who looked good today.
I must give credit to William & Mary who fought hard during this game. Even when Maryland ran the score up in the 1st half, the Tribe came back strong in the second half and made a good account of themselves. They played like they had nothing to lose and are proof that there are now plenty of good unranked teams in Div. 1.
Maryland's next game is Thursday at home vs. Delaware.
