The No. 10 Terrapin women’s soccer team knows it should beat visiting Stony Brook on Sunday at Ludwig Field.
The Seawolves will arrive in College Park winless on the season and having just lost to an Iona team that the Terps (4-0-0) dismantled in their season opener Aug. 20.
The issue of preparation for the Terps becomes more mental than physical.
“For us, it’s having the mentality to be great,” Terp coach Brian Pensky said Thursday. “It really doesn’t matter who we play, we want to try to be the best we can be. That doesn’t change, even though we’re playing a team that’s obviously off to a slow start.”
That mentality will be pivotal if the Terps hope to continue to tear through lesser opponents and avoid marring their NCAA tournament resume with an unsightly loss or tie to a team such as Stony Brook.
Similar slip-ups are fresh in the mind of Pensky and many of the Terps. Early in a promising 2008 season, the Terps lost consecutive games to Bucknell and Elon, setting the tone for what ended up being a disappointing losing season.
“I really don’t need to say a whole lot to this group about what a win Sunday means to us,” Pensky said. “If we don’t take care of business, this game can kill us.”
Therein lies the challenge for the Terps. Despite the veteran nature of the group, Pensky still noted the difference in the Terps’ excitement level approaching this game as compared to that of a conference match.
Regardless, Pensky and the Terps seemed to be brimming with confidence as they closed practice on Thursday. And as the team concluded their cool-down, Pensky walked through his squad, shouting fitting advice: “Be great, even in your stretching.”
– Conor Walsh