the ladies

Maryland Women’s Soccer, Field Hockey Off To Perfect Starts

On August 30, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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)

http://shell-games.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/digg_48.png

http://shell-games.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/reddit_48.png

http://shell-games.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/delicious_48.png

http://shell-games.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/technorati_48.png

http://shell-games.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/myspace_48.png

http://shell-games.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/facebook_48.png

http://shell-games.com/wp-content/plugins/sociofluid/images/twitter_48.png

Maryland Women Nab Lacrosse Crown, Keep Titles Coming for Terps

On June 1, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Three cheers for those ladies, man. Huzzah and huzzah again, baby. You gotta love em. Because if it wasn’t for the fairer sex, Mayland would be in a serious title drought.

Since 2005, the Terps have won 11 national championships in various sports; all but two of those came from the ladies (the exceptions are men’s soccer in ‘05 and ‘08). Maryland is a perennial contender in women’s basketball, field hockey, women’s lacrosse, and competitive cheer (yeah, that’s right), which account for the other nine aforementioned titles.

Over the weekend, the lady Terps added another notch to their belts by knocking off fellow powerhouse Northwestern, 13-11. This is the team’s 10th title overall — most in the nation. Women’s lacrosse and competitive cheer won the only titles for the Terps this season.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but Maryland held their compsure behind senior leader and lacrosse wunderkind Caitlyn McFadden, who got two goals and an assist while shutting down Northwestern star Katrina Dowd.

McFadden’s departure will be a blow, but the cupboard will remain full enough for another run next year, with 23 players returning to the fold, including all-tournament standouts Sarah Mollison, Karri Ellen Johnson, and Katie Schwarzmann.

Huge congratulations to the women’s lacrosse team — a continued tradition of excellence among so many others on the ladies’ side of Maryland athletics. With the Terps, as in life, it is truly the women who are keeping the menfolk afloat. Do your thang, ladies.

(Photo credit: UMTerps.com)

Tagged with: Big Wins • championships • Competitive Cheer • Lacrosse • postseasons • the ladies

Maryland Softball: Softball Season Apparently Over

On May 26, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

As spring athletics wrap up and college campuses go dark for the summer, it appears one more sport has fallen by the wayside. I just wish I could catch them before they actually ended. Gah, I’m so stupid!

So it looks like the softball team was a big “hit” this year, reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade. They really “swung for the fences,” homey. And by all accounts, it was a “slam dunk,” if you get my meaning.

In a double-elimination tournament, the Terps lost to Fordham, then beat Syracuse — geez, how many times can one program vomit on itself in one spring? — then lost to Fordham again, ending their season.

The 34-24 Terps had a good run in 2010. Hats off to them, especially the hot ones. No, wait! I didn’t mean it like that. All I meant to do was make a value judgement based on their looks. As in, how attractive they were. Sexually attractive.

So yes. I look forward to forgetting when softball is until the late-spring dead zone, when it will be too late and I will write another post about how the season just ended. Some call it journalism. For me, it’s just another day at the office. You can thank me by sending me money.

(Photo credit: UMTerps.com)

Tagged with: postseasons • Softball • the ladies

Maryland Lacrosse: Men Upset, Cottle Resigns, Women Reach Final Four

On May 24, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

On Saturday, Maryland became the latest lacrosse team to drink the bitter brew of the upset…one part tears, one part overconfidence, one part lackadaisacality, one part psychological entanglements (for texture), and just to make sure your gag reflex receives full engagement, one part Captain Morgan’s Lime.

We were out of town and thus didn’t see the game, but by all accounts the third-ranked Terps’ loss to unseeded Notre Dame was not easy on the eyes. The team’s top scorers — Grant Catlino, Ryan Young, and Will Yeatman — combined to shoot 0-13. That’s not how you win games. The loss was so disappointing, in fact, that it led to head coach Dave Cottle’s resignation last night, after Debbie Yow informed him she wouldn’t renew his contract. According to D1scourse, Cottle has reached the postseason in 22 of his 23 coaching seasons (spread across Maryland and Loyola) but has never won a championship. That’s a record.

D1scourse goes on to state that success in college lacrosse is somewhat unfairly measured by one thing and one thing only, and that’s titles. Fair point. But on the other hand, it’s pretty safe to say that the Terps have become a perennial underacheiver — it’s been 35 years now since Maryland got a banner. That’s a pretty epic dry spell. I’m no lacrosse maniac, but isn’t a change warranted under those circumstances? That’s not a reflection of our quick-fix, drive-through, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately society. It’s been THIRTY-FIVE YEARS. Cottle is literally THE record holder when it comes to underperformance in the playoffs, the outcomes of which, like it or not, are simply weighted more heavily than those of the regular season. That’s true for every sport, and, I would argue, rightly so, given the higher stakes and all.

It’s all the more frustrating because, with all the other upsets that went down this May Madness, Maryland had the Final Four more or less laid out for them on a platter….all they had to do was pull up to the table and tuck in. They couldn’t do it. Again. It cost the coach his job. So be it.

In other news, while the men were foundering in the sludge of mediocrity, the top-ranked women’s team again showed how consistently excellent their program really is by reaching yet another Final Four. The Final Four bracket is filled with lacrosse blue bloods…Maryland takes on Syracuse this Friday, while North Carolina faces defending champion Northwestern in the other semifinal. Good luck, ladies.

(Photo credit: Inside Lacrosse)

Tagged with: Dave Cottle • Debbie Yow • Grant Catalino • Lacrosse • postseasons • Ryan Young • the ladies • Will Yeatman

Who Does the Maryland Lacrosse Team Have to Kill To Get Some Love Around Here?

On May 10, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

I saw all the headlines over the past few days. Lacrosse seedings are out, scream the headlines. And it’s all, Virginia men get top seed this, and Virginia women get sixth seed that! What about the Terps, man? The ladies got the one seed, and the men got the third seed. So in the aggregate, the Maryland lacrosse teams got higher seeds than the Cavs teams. So what gives with The Media? Just another example of Charlottesville bias, huh? The haves and the have-nots. Is that it? Huh? Answer me, media!

What’s that? Oh, right. The first-degree murder thing.

Well, now I feel a little insensitive. And that headline — whoa! That’s not appropriate. My apologies.

The men host Hofstra this Saturday at Byrd Stadium. The winner gets the winner between Princeton and Notre Dame. The women also play this Saturday, hosting Marist at Ludwig Field.

Sorry again about forgetting about the killing and all. What’s that — you say I’m a loser? That I’m an inhuman animal? Well…I know you are, but what am I?!?!? I NEVER LOVED YOU ANYWAY! I JUST USE YOU FOR YOUR MONEY! I HATE YOU!!! I’M TELLING YOU…ONE OF THESE DAYS….AAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!

/Dives into ocean, swims toward beach

Tagged with: Lacrosse • the ladies

Maryland Lacrosse: Women Are ACC Champs, Men Lose in Title Game

On April 26, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

I was out of town on a non-Terps-related matter this weekend, so apologies for the lateness of this post. But I did want to put this on the Shell Games record: the Maryland women’s lacrosse team upset no. 1 North Carolina to win the ACC tournament yesterday. On Saturday, the men’s team got several goals early, but were overwhelmed by top-ranked Virginia’s oppressive defense and lost 10-6.

On the men’s side, Cavs goalie and tournament MVP Adam Ghitleman is getting a ton of love for his 16 saves, but Matt Lovejoy also played well in holding Terp star Grant Catalino to 1-9 shooting. Oddly enough, that doesn’t end the Terps’ regular season…they still have to field a team against Fairfield and Colgate before Selection Sunday on May 9.

The lady Terps were paced, as usual, by Caitlyn McFadden, who got three goals and two assists en route to her second consectutive ACC tourney MVP award. Maryland is now the top-ranked team in the land and barring a catastrophe will still be that way when the women’s tournament begins May 15. Huge congrats to both teams…this should be an interesting postseaon.

(Photo credit: Inside Lacrosse)

Tagged with: Caitlyn McFadden • championships • Grant Catalino • Lacrosse • postseaons • the ladies

Maryland Lacrosse: Men Up, Women Down in Latest Polls

On April 13, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

After holding fast for an 11-9 victory over Navy Saturday, the Terp men’s lacrosse team rose to no. 4 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.

Meanwhile, following last week’s blatant jinx (bad job by me, but I needed it), the then-second-ranked lady Terp sticksters (eh, why not) fell to North Carolina 13-9, and subsequently dropped to third in this week’s deBeer/IL Women’s Media Poll, flip-flopping places with the Heels.

Is that deBeer like the diamond company? Can’t be..that’s DeBeers. Oh, it’s a company that sells lacrosse gear. Weird.

Up next for the ladies: strangely unranked Princeton, tomorrow night, 7:30.

Up next for the men: The Blue Jays. That’s right, baby…it’s Hopkins week. It happens this Saturday, 6:30, at Ravens Stadium in B-more, televised on ESPNU. This is the premier rivalry in all of lacrosse, so it’s unfortunate that Hopkins has won five of the last six. The Terps will need a big strategy for the game, and it will go as follows: BEAT F****** HOPKINS.

Tagged with: Johns Hopkins • Lacrosse • the ladies

Women’s Lacrosse: Maryland Keeps Winning, And Life is Beautiful

On April 6, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Good morning! It’s just another beautiful spring day here in the nation’s capital. Truly is it a special time of year. The air is warm and sweet, birds are chirping, the dogwoods and cherry blossoms are in full expression. The sidewalk on the way to my office is literally strewn with flower petals right now, as if sprinkled before my path by benevolent and willow-limbed Persephone, protectrix of the vernal-tide and of the little renewals of life. Not that I need any.

(Breathes in.) AHHHHHHHHHH….that’s the stuff.

I’ve got a little extra spring — no pun intended, LOL! — in my step today. I went to bed at like 9 o’clock last night, so I am plenty rested for another exciting and wonderful day.

And what better way to kick off the day than to talk a little women’s lacrosse? Can you think of a better topic? I sure can’t.

A thousand apologies for the lateness of this post, but I did want to pass on that the second-ranked ladies handily defeated #6 Penn, 12-6, on Friday night. The lovely Mary Ellen Johnson and the vivacious Kristy Black combined for seven big goals. Want to know the best part? These two are only sophomores. This season is looking very promising for the 12-0 Terps, but indeed, the future also looks just as bright as this wonderful morning, which sparkles upon the earth like a special gift from above.

This Saturday will be a big game for the ladies, as they travel to Chapel Hill to face #3 North Carolina. Can the ladies avenge the men’s loss? I am very hopeful that they can!

Please have a great day out there…enjoy this marvelous weather and the many gifts of health and family…and GOOOOOOOOO TEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPS! YAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!

(Photo credit: UMTerps.com…you do great work, guys. Thanks so much!

Tagged with: I'm extremely happy and have no reason to be otherwise • Kristy Black • Lacrosse • Mary Ellen Johnson • the ladies

Lady Terps: Has the Bubble Burst?

On March 9, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Ah, Selection Monday. The tradition. The suspense. The overwhelming Monday-ness of it all.

It just doesn’t have the same ring as the big event that precedes it. Why follow the men? Why not have Selection Saturday? Why does anyone make me do anything on a Monday?

As airtight as these arguments are, Selection Monday is a cold reality, and the Maryland women’s basketball team will have to wait until then–a full 11 days after their final game–to find out whether they are going dancing. Early returns, however, are not encouraging.

After defeating North Carolina in the first round of the ACC tournament, the ladies lost a tough one to top-seeded Duke, 66-64, to finish (for now) at 19-12 overall and 6-10 in the conference. That Duke win probably would have gotten them in, but as it is, NCAA Women’s Bracketologist Charlie “I Hate Joe Lunardi” Creme has the Lady Terps in his first four out. Not good. Especially since all the women’s conference tourneys are over. Any upsets that would have shaken up the bubble have happened by now, and it’s clear it didn’t break in a good way for Maryland. (Big tourney runs from Iowa, Rutgers, and Vermont, for example, were probably detrimental for the Terps.) So unless the selection committee disagrees with the bracketologist — and really, who’s ever heard of such a thing? — the Lady Terps may be out of luck and out of chances. For dances.

But fear not, for all is not lost. As you might expect, the future looks bright for Brenda Frese’s young crew. Sophomore Lynetta Kizer made All-ACC third team, while Diandra Tchatchouang (free fake prize for anyone who can provide a prounciation key) made the all-freshman team. Congrats to them, and to all the Lady Terps. Even if they don’t go dancing, they made the most of a season that could have been a lot worse.

Tagged with: Basketball • Brenda Frese • Diandra Tchatchouang • Lynetta Kizer • the ladies

Maryland Women, Who Apparently Also Play Basketball, In Some Kind of Fight For Postseason Lives

On February 23, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Now wait one second...these aren't basketball players!

Hey, just kidding with the headline there. Kidding! But you have to admit, with so much excitement surrounding the men, and the women’s team experiencing something of a temporary vacuum following the departure of the last members of their most popular and successful team ever, it is reasonable to expect that interest might flicker just a bit. Flicker like the flame of a wee, delicate candle. During a blizzard. At the bottom of the Irish Sea.

Ahhh, the Irish. They have the prescription for the daily blues. Many a maiden fair they be havin’. Many a stout pint of…well, stout. Lush, rolling hills. And the peat! Ahhhhhhh, the peat.

Huh? What? Whoa, sorry. Slipped off there. I guess I’ll save the peat discussion for my other blog, which you can find at http://ahhhhthepeat.blogspot.com. Update your bookmarks! But for now, it’s time to talk Lady Terps.

I do like to kid (even if I don’t always like to eat kids), but at 18-9, the ladies could be a lot worse off, even if their tourney hopes are balancing on the edge of a knife blade. As of now, the bracketologists have them at a ninth seed. Not bad considering their best returning player — Dee Liles — was kicked off the team and out of school for academic issues. That left an 11-woman roster with nine freshmen or sophomores, led by Lynetta Kizer, who is averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds in her second season. They were reminded of their lack of experience when they were beaten decisively be a decidedly experienced Duke team two days ago.

Still, they’re seventh in the ACC right now, and will probably make the tourney if they beat Boston College in Boston this Thursday and no. 10 Florida State in the CP this Sunday. But there’s no margin for error, as those are kind of the last two games of the season. Why can’t any Maryland team ever just be really really good and boring? I guess that would make them Duke. So never mind. But barring a win-out, the lady Terps will need a good run in the ACC tourney if they want to go dancing in March. Best of luck…the Irish will be with ye.

(UPDATE: The Lady Terps lost at Boston College. They’ll now need to make a deep run in the ACC tourney if they want to go dancing.)

Tagged with: Basketball • Lynetta Kizer • the ladies