Katie O'Donnell has come a long way for the Terps.
If you like Maryland, and you like championships, then you’ve got to be at least a passing fan of the Terp women’s teams, especially lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey. The latter two just got their seasons underway, and they’ve combined for a flawless 6-0 start.
First, field hockey. Behind Katie O’Donnell, a senior this year and the defending Honda Sports Award winner (field hockey’s Heisman), the no. 2 Terps easily won their first two contests this past weekend. I’m not Bobby Field Hockey, but I don’t believe it’s a stretch to call O’Donnell one of the best players in recent memory. Their only loss last year came in the final game, with ACC rival North Carolina squeaking out a 3-2 upset. A real test comes this Friday against Old Dominion. With three titles this decade, O’Donnell’s swan song, and coming up just short in 2009, methinks they’re setting up for another hardware run.
Maryland women’s soccer isn’t quite as gaudy, but this group still has a solid history of making postseasons and after a five-year tourney drought now seem to be heading in the right direction under head coach Brian Pensky. They’re currently ranked 14th in the nation and are riding a 4-0 start, highlighted by a win over two-time defending Big 12 champs Missouri. Last year, the Lady Terps finished 14-6-2 and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004 before losing 1-0, also to eventual champion North Carolina. This team returns virtually every contributor from last year, including preseaon Hermann Trophy Watch Lister Jasmyne Spencer. They lose goalie Mary Casey to the pros, but seem cautiously optimistic about her replacement, Yewande Balogun, who has surrendered only three goals in four games thus far. UMTerps has a good season preview if you want more.
Hats off to both teams for their hot starts. Here’s hoping they can keep it going.
(Photo credit: SI.com)
