It has been exactly 11 months since North Carolina last faced the Terrapins field hockey team, but tomorrow's matchup is one the Tar Heels have likely had circled on their calendars all season.
North Carolina bested the Terps in the 2009 national championship, but the rivalry has since been slanted decidedly in the Terps' favor. The Tar Heels fell in all three of their contests to the Terps last season, losing in the regular season and in both the ACC and national championships.
After a year of Terps domination last season, North Carolina will get its first chance at redemption tomorrow when the No. 3 Terps travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on the No. 2 Tar Heels in a renewal of one of the sport's fiercest rivalries.
"It will be nice to see them again. We haven't seen them in almost a year," coach Missy Meharg said. "We know their players really well, so we just have to enjoy that fact, prepare and enjoy the game."
The Terps (13-2, 4-0 ACC) are especially familiar with midfielder Kelsey Kolojejchick, who led North Carolina (15-1, 4-0) in goals last year and is the top scorer in the ACC so far this season. Still, the Terps have had little trouble slowing her down in her career — Kolojejchick is scoreless in all five games she's played against the Terps.
"We know Carolina. They're not a team that likes to shift things around a lot. They're very traditional in the way that they play," Meharg said. "It's a great quality match."
"We have to keep our heads together," defender Hayley Turner said. "We just need to keep stepping up and just do exactly what we learned from [Wednesday's 6-0 win against Towson]."
Perhaps the key for the Terps in Saturday's game will be breaking through North Carolina's top-ranked defense. The Tar Heels' backfield has suffocated the opposition, giving up just 0.55 goals per game this season, nearly a full goal better than the ACC's next-best defense.
But even with its obvious success, the Terps' recent offensive performances show the team may have what it takes to penetrate North Carolina's defense. The Terps have recently implemented a larger variety of offensive systems to their game plan, and with 11 goals scored in the team's past two games, it looks as if Meharg's changes are working.
"Usually we're probably a little more systematic in the way we play, but we're playing a couple different formations," Meharg said. "Under pressure, without pressure, different angles, counterattack — you name it. Every game situation we simulate in some sort of drill when it comes to shooting."
The Tar Heels are a familiar foe for the Terps, as the two teams have faced each other in 55 total contests, including five times in the past two seasons. But Saturday's game takes on a little added importance for both teams: The winner will clinch the No. 1 seed in November's ACC Tournament.
But no matter who comes out on top, Meharg said she knows this likely won't be the last time the Terps and Tar Heels meet this season.
"I love playing Carolina," Meharg said. "At the right time, in November, hopefully we'll get to see them for a championship."
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