2008 Woodie Awards
Draws no problem for Dobbie
Brian Kapur
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: Sports
With the cool and calm of Clint Eastwood in a Western, senior midfielder Dana Dobbie faces the opposition at the center circle for the draw. The ball is set for a few seconds as tensions rise. Then the whistle sounds and Dobbie takes control.
The Terrapin women's lacrosse team (8-1, 2-1 ACC) has averaged a gaudy 15.9 goals per game this season. While the explosive attack is responsible for the scoring, Dobbie and the Terps' draw control operation is responsible for fueling the offense.
"We really focus on getting all the draws because we can't score without the ball," senior attacker Katie Princiotto said. "That's one of our main focuses in every game."
The Terps' focus on the draw has paid off, as the Terps are second in the nation with 16.89 draw controls per game and have 152 total so far this season. Playing the center position, Dobbie has been able to pile up draw controls and leads the nation with 45 draw controls, collecting an average of five per game.
Dobbie does most of her draw controls on created jump balls. Dobbie forces the ball straight up into the air off the draw, and then she uses her 5-foot-10-inch height advantage to win possession.
While Dobbie leads the nation in draw controls, she also puts her teammates in position to gain possession.
"We all know each other really well when we are in there," Dobbie said. "I am able to place the ball in different positions, and I am able to move it around and manipulate it. We can just look at each other and know where it is going. We know where it's going and get there when the whistle blows. That's what makes us a lot different from the teams we are playing."
For Dobbie, it has been a practiced art. The midfielder oftentimes stays late after practice to work on draws, and the added work has helped the Terp center manipulate the ball in a variety of motions to keep the opposing center off balance.
"The one big thing being a center is being unpredictable," Dobbie said. "You don't want to keep going to the same spot every time; that's one reason we are so dynamic in that area. Being dynamic and unpredictable is what goes through my head. The biggest thing for me is getting the ball so we have possession and they don't."
The Terrapin women's lacrosse team (8-1, 2-1 ACC) has averaged a gaudy 15.9 goals per game this season. While the explosive attack is responsible for the scoring, Dobbie and the Terps' draw control operation is responsible for fueling the offense.
"We really focus on getting all the draws because we can't score without the ball," senior attacker Katie Princiotto said. "That's one of our main focuses in every game."
The Terps' focus on the draw has paid off, as the Terps are second in the nation with 16.89 draw controls per game and have 152 total so far this season. Playing the center position, Dobbie has been able to pile up draw controls and leads the nation with 45 draw controls, collecting an average of five per game.
Dobbie does most of her draw controls on created jump balls. Dobbie forces the ball straight up into the air off the draw, and then she uses her 5-foot-10-inch height advantage to win possession.
While Dobbie leads the nation in draw controls, she also puts her teammates in position to gain possession.
"We all know each other really well when we are in there," Dobbie said. "I am able to place the ball in different positions, and I am able to move it around and manipulate it. We can just look at each other and know where it is going. We know where it's going and get there when the whistle blows. That's what makes us a lot different from the teams we are playing."
For Dobbie, it has been a practiced art. The midfielder oftentimes stays late after practice to work on draws, and the added work has helped the Terp center manipulate the ball in a variety of motions to keep the opposing center off balance.
"The one big thing being a center is being unpredictable," Dobbie said. "You don't want to keep going to the same spot every time; that's one reason we are so dynamic in that area. Being dynamic and unpredictable is what goes through my head. The biggest thing for me is getting the ball so we have possession and they don't."
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