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)

Katie O'Donnell striking the Honda Sports Award pose.

Congratulations to Maryland field hockey player Katie O’Donnell for being named the 2009 recipient of the Honda Sports Award for being the best player in collegiate field hockey!  The award comes on the heels of a season where O’Donnell broke multiple team and national scoring records.  According to umterps.com:

Over the course of the 2009 season, O’Donnell broke an unprecedented number of school, conference, and national records. She became the school’s single-season (87) and career points leader (208). She broke the ACC and Maryland career assist records and now has 74 career assists. O’Donnell is the first player in Maryland history to break 25 goals and 30 assists in a season.

With her performance this year, she earned her 200th point, making her the 24th player in NCAA history to break the 200-point mark. In the NCAA semifinals round, she recorded a new Tournament record – nine points in a championship round game.

Those of you who follow field hockey would agree that O’Donnell deserves the award.  She is the most consistent offensive force in the game, and she was the key player in Maryland’s return to the National Championship game this year.  Congratulations again, Katie.  Here’s to you repeating the feat in 2010!

Even this clown is having trouble smiling today.

It’s one of those overcast Fall mornings in DC.  It’s an appropriate setting for a day of lamenting about what could have been.  Terps field hockey fans are feeling a little empty today.  That’s because Maryland lost a close game to UNC in the NCAA field hockey National Championship game yesterday.

This gamewas the field hockey equivalent of the Patriots losing the Super Bowl to the Giants after going undefeated through the regular season and playoffs.  The undefeated Terps led most of the game.  UNC tied the game at 2-2 by pulling their goalie, a desperation move that is much like the famed David Tyree Helmet Catch.  They won it on a late penalty corner shot.

The team has a lot to be proud of.  Maryland finished with 23 wins, the most in the history of the program.  Seniors Emma Thomas, Nicole Muracco, and Alexis Pappas will not be forgotten.  In addition to taking home many individual accolades, they led the most successful four year run in Terps history.  There is no shame in losing to UNC, who is the second most successful program out there.

Make no mistake, the Terps will back in this game next year, but it’ll be a long wait.  Missy Meharg and Odie will be back for revenge.  In the meantime, I’ll turn my attention to the “other” Maryland sports like basketball.

ODIE! ODIE! ODIE!

The Maryland field hockey team makes it easy for a fan like me to make bold predictions.  The Terps returned to the finals by beating Princeton 7-5 yesterday.  Before the season began I had predicted that the Terps would successfully defend their title.  They are now one win away from doing so.

Katie “Odie” O’Donnell was once again the star for the Terps, scoring three goals and adding three assists to break the record for points in a semifinal.  She was this year’s ACC Offensive Player of the Year.  I think of Katie as the Oscar Robinson of NCAA field hockey.  She plays every facet of the game at the highest level.  She’s been an All-American since her freshman year.  The Junior forward may go down as the greatest player in the history of the game.

While I’m patting myself on the back, I had also correctly predicted that UNC would beat UVA.  I must say that takes a sincere field hockey aficionado to read those tea leaves.  So Maryland faces UNC in a one game final on Sunday to decide it all.  It sounds like Terps fans did travel in numbers to Winston-Salem, so the Championship game should be a fun one to be at.

One more win for the trophy!  Every Maryland corner is a goal!  Go Terps!

Maryland beat AU 6-1 and Drexel 5-0 in the first two rounds.   In the hunt for their seventh NCAA title, Maryland is looking to repeat as National Champions and pick-up their fourth title in five years.  The Terps also beat UVA a couple weeks ago to pick-up their eighth ACC Championship title.

Katie O’Donnell, Emma Thomas, and Nicole Muracco continue to lead the team on its march through the schedule.  The Terps will have to stop Princeton’s Kathleen Sharkey, who leads the team with 21 goals on the season including 6 game winners, in what should prove to be a tough match-up.  A bigger test will come out of the winner of the UVA vs UNC game.  Despite the fact that UVA is the higher seed, UNC seems better on paper to me, scoring about one goal per game more than UVA and allowing about 1/2 goal per game less than UVA.  They’re also playing what amounts to a home game on the campus of Wake Forest.

I’m going to predict a UMD vs UNC final in Winston-Salem.  Let’s hope enough of our fans travel there to make it at least somewhat neutral.  That game takes place Sunday at noon, and Shell Games will be following the tournament throughout the weekend.  GO TERPS!

Hello.  It’s good to be back.  You know, the hardest part about being idle for almost a whole week (which felt like it went by in dog weeks) was looking on powerlessly as all those news cycles went down.  Witness:

• The basketball team went 2-0, albeit not overly impressively.
• The football team went 0-1, albeit not overly impressively.
• The field hockey team reached yet another championship.
• Power forward Ashton Pankey (ranked 36 among power forwards) committed to Maryland, and should be a solid puzzle piece next year.
• A football game on non-computer TV…does not compute!

But then something happened that I just couldn’t ignore, that DEMANDED we get this site up. Maryland punter Travis Baltz — The Baltz Man — is done for the season.

You know, you go through life hoping never to confront something like this.  That’s why I think part of me knew this all along.

You go on ahead and cry.   

If you’re one of those callous souls, thinking “he’s just a punter,” then I’m afraid you haven’t been taking in much Maryland football this season. Just a punter?!?!?  This guy can do it all, I tells ya. The End-Over-End. The Big Boom. The High Looper. The Frozen Rope. The Barking Pooch. I once saw him use the masse to spin the ball out of bounds at like the 2. It was unbelievable – it was Tiger Woods spinning an iron shot toward the cup. Poetry.

Oh, you think I’m exaggerating? Well, maybe he wasn’t having the greatest season. But let me repeat: have you SEEN Maryland football this year.

I should look on the bright side, though. The Baltz Man is only a junior. So if he made All-ACC last year and was a Ray Guy Finalist this year, imagine what he can do next year. Plus, the injury was to his finger, not to his leg — that fine, golden punting leg — so he should be back to full steam next fall. Until then, I’ll just lay back and bide my time…waiting for the triumphant return of The Baltz Man. Perhaps I’ll get a countdown widget.

Hope you like the new site, by the way.

“Dominant” is the only word I can think of to describe this team.  Dominant.  The team has six shutouts this season and they have outscored their opponents 96-24.  That means they are scoring four times as many goals as their opponents for those of you fellow English majors.

I love this team.  If I had one free minute of time in my life I’d go to their games.  Maybe I’ll go to a game one day soon.  In the meantime I’ll follow them from afar and use the power of the blogosphere to broadcast my cheers.  Go Terps Field Hockey!

Great article in the Post today about how Maryland’s dominant field hockey team is fairly anonymous on not only the local sports landscape, but their own damn campus. I’m not sure what the exact problem is, but it could have something to do with the fact that it’s field hockey.

Seriously, though, the team is incredible. It’s not that they can’t lose. It’s just that they don’t. Katie O’Donnell is the sport’s top player and Missy Meharg is the top coach. She’s the Sasho Cirovski of underappreciated Maryland women’s sports program coaches.

Let me just take this opportunity to point out the voluminous field hockey coverage here at Shell Games. Why do we do it? Because we like girls care. It’s because we care.

Your 16-0, top-ranked, defending national champion Terps field hockey team closes out the regular season tomorrow with a big showdown at 15-0, #2 North Carolina.

One of these days, I gotta make it to a game.

(Photo credit: D.C. Sports Box)

Emma Thomas puts her body into it. That's why she's a winner.

For those of you that tune to Shell Games for all your Maryland field hockey news, here’s a quick update.  I successfully used bullets in my last post, so I’m going back to the well on that format:

• The Terps are 12-0 overall, 3-0 in the ACC, and still ranked #1 in the country.
• Since defeating #3 Wake Forest a couple Saturdays ago, the Terps have beaten#20 American U 3-0 and #3 UVA 3-1.
• Emma Thomas was named ACC Co-Player of the Week for notching 3 goals and an assist in the two big wins against AU and UVA.  Maryland’s press release stated that her goals came in big moments, and that she’s a P-T-Per.

You’re all caught up on field hockey.  Go Terps!

Feeling down? Kevin Tangney has one word for you: GOOOOOOAL!

Are you feeling a little down because Maryland football sucks this year?

Do you miss the thrill of basketball season?

Does the Fall remind you of all the promises you made but never kept?

Well I say, fret no more, friend!  There is more to life than football, basketball, and lamenting.   There is soccer and field hockey!  Maryland had a weekend of victory in these venerable Fall sports.

On Friday, in front of the biggest crowd ever to fill Ludwig Field, the #4 ranked and defending NCAA Champion Maryland Terrapins men’s soccer team upset #2 UNC.  Terrapin captain Kevin Tangney booted in a desperation shot in the 88th minute to propel the Terps to the win.  With the win, Maryland will likely secure the #1 spot in tomorrow’s rankings.

If that wasn’t enough excitement for one weekend, the #1 ranked defending NCAA Champion Maryland Terrapins field hockey team dismantled #3 ranked Wake Forest this Saturday.  Four different Terps scored in the 4-1 victory.  I tuned into the Game Tracker and saw the score was 1-1 at halftime.  The Terps poured on three goals in a nine minute span during the second half to beat their ACC rivals.

There are many reasons to be proud to be a Terp these days.  These two first class athletic programs are near the top of the list.