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.

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!

Muracco has been a scoring machine so far this year. And she's purdy.

Right now, as I’m writing this blog post, the #1 ranked Maryland Terrapins are hosting the #3 Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a clash between two field hockey titans.  The last time these two teams faced each other was for the 2008 ACC Championship as part of Maryland’s Award Tour.  The Terps are so dominant that they’ve been awarded every ACC player of the week awardso far in the first three weeks of 2009.  Maryland is 9-0 coming into this game, with three shutouts.  Their play has been dominating thus far, and the team is averaging a five goal margin of victory and outshooting their opponents 172-63 through nine games.

Emma Thomas (25pts) and Katie O’Donnell (37pts) continue their dominant play from last year.  The Terps have benefitted from great play by Nicole Muracco, who leads the team with 14 goals so far this season, and Janessa Pope, who stepped up big with a goal and an assist in the victory over #9 Boston College.  That performance earned Pope ACC Player of the Week honors for last week.

As I write this post, the Terps and Deacons are tied 1-1 at the half, and Muracco has the Terps lone goal.  Reports from College Park are that she scored by charming her way past the defense.  We’ll be recapping this game and more as the season goes on.  Go Terps, beat Wake!