The Terrapin women’s lacrosse team starts its season this Sunday at home against Richmond at 2 p.m., if the weather holds up. This is an abbreviated season preview for the team.
Defeat.
It’s something the Terrapin women’s lacrosse team only experienced once last season. After building on one of the finest seasons in recent program history, the Terps avoided any taste of defeat throughout the year.
The Terps were supposed to be good, just not that good. Losing five of their top six scorers from 2008, the team ran rampant through its regular season schedule unscathed.
But it seemingly ended as soon as it started. In the Final Four, the Terps hit a wall against North Carolina, a team they beat just weeks earlier, and lost for the first time of the season – one game away from what they were working for all year.
Since then, the Terps have had more than eight months to soak in the loss.
Right now, head coach Cathy Reese has her team focused and ready. The Terps return all 12 starters from last year’s team that earned the program’s first ACC Championship and Final Four Berth since 2003.
The team enters every preseason poll ranked No. 2, behind perennial power Northwestern, who has won five straight national championships and finished last year undefeated.
Entering last season, the Terps had question marks everywhere from attack to goalie. Both untested and inexperienced, the team surprised almost everyone with its success.
This year, the Terps boast one of the deepest and most-experienced teams in the nation, led by co-captain and All-American Caitlyn McFadden. McFadden, who was the IWLCA National Midfielder of the Year and ACC Player of the Year last season, is back for her final season after winning the FIL World Cup with the United States last summer.
Fellow All-American Brandi Jones, who put up 28 goals and 32 assists as a sophomore last season, joins McFadden at midfield along with Laura Merrifield, who competed with England at the FIL World Cup.
At attack, the Terps are looking to get everyone involved and are spearheaded by co-captain Sarah Mollison, the only non-senior captain on the team, and sophomore Karri Ellen Johnson.
An All-American, Mollison scored 44 goals and had 38 assists for the Terps last season. Johnson, meanwhile, crafted the finest freshman campaign in Maryland women’s lacrosse history last year. Hailing from Annapolis, Johnson scored 74 goals, the third most in Terps single-season history, and was chosen as ACC Rookie of the Year.
While the Terps roster includes 17 juniors and seniors, a few freshmen may play vital roles for the team this season.
Alex Aust, at attack, was an Under Armor All-American from Virginia, while Katie Schwarzmann, at midfield, was a three-time All-American at Century High School in Maryland.
On defense, the Terps are headlined by senior captain Karissa Taylor, a Third-team All-American last year. Sophomore Brittany Dipper will return after putting up a 14-1 record and a 9.17 goals against average.
Overall, the team is fully-loaded for another run deep into postseason play and are hoping to win the program’s first National Championship since 2001.
Chris Eckard is the Diamondback’s Terrapin women’s lacrosse beat reporter. He can be reached at eckarddbk@gmail.com.