Duke first of many tough tests for field hockey

The past three weeks have been filled with little but success for the Terrapins field hockey team. The Terps played four games, won four times and triumphed in each by an average margin of nearly four goals.

Things are about to get more difficult for the Terps, however. None of the team's last four opponents — Massachusetts, Wake Forest, Princeton and Virginia — were nationally ranked, and the past three contests were all played on the Terps' home field.

The level of competition is set to increase tomorrow when the No. 3 Terps travel down Tobacco Road to take on No. 8 Duke. It will be the Terps' first game against a ranked opponent since they defeated then-No. 8 Boston College, 4-3, in overtime on Sept. 16.

"I'm not sure the ranking really matters, to be honest," coach Missy Meharg said. "This league gets so competitive and all the players know each other, so it's just that real sense of competition that comes with the match."

The Terps (10-1, 3-0 ACC) have a heavy advantage in the all-time series with the Blue Devils (7-4, 2-1), having won 26 of the 36 games in the series, including the past three.

But this is a different Duke team than that of years past. Former coach Beth Bozman resigned last November, and the Blue Devils tabbed Louisville's Pam Bustin, who won three Big East conference titles, to lead the program.

The transition has been a remarkable one so far. A year after going winless in ACC play and 8-11 overall, Duke claimed wins over top-20 teams Boston College and Ohio State this season.

"Looking at their statistics, I'm not surprised they're in the top 10," Meharg said. "They're a revived team, they've got a lot of talent and it's ACC hockey, so there's a lot of opportunity for us to grow."

One matchup that will likely be paramount for the Terps tomorrow is how their high-powered attack fares against a stingy Duke defense. The Terps' offense has been the key to their success recently, with more than five goals averaged per game in their last six contests.

Similar success could be hard to come by for the Terps on the road tomorrow, however. The Blue Devils have allowed just 1.36 goals per game this season — the second-best mark in the conference, behind only North Carolina — and have yet to allow an opponent score more than three goals.

"It looks like they're a tough defense, statistically, and we're going to work real hard on getting free up front," Meharg said.

After three straight high-scoring wins at home against unranked opponents, an ACC road contest against No. 8 Duke could be a tough test for the Terps. Still, the Terps are treating this game no differently than their 5-0 win against Wake Forest two weeks ago or any other victory, even though the Blue Devils' national ranking and elite-level defense suggests the game likely won't be as easy.

"We take every game as seriously as any other game," forward Katie Gerzabek said. "It's not so much the team, it's how we play. We're not worried about what other teams are doing; we're focused on us."

vitale@umdbk.com