Field hockey doesn’t show in first half vs. Tar Heels

There have been games this season when the Terrapins field hockey team has proved itself a dominating force throughout the game, the unquestioned authority on the field from start to finish.

There have also been games, however, when the Terps have looked that way for only part of the proceedings.

Saturday, their Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation took shape at Henry Field. In a 2-1 loss to No. 2 North Carolina, it sometimes appeared as though two different Terps teams were doing battle with the Tar Heels.

The side that stepped onto the field in the first half was clearly not the one boasting a three-game winning streak against its conference rival. The Terps were held shotless by a stifling Tar Heels defense before halftime, essentially sealing the team's fate in the game long before it was over.

"We played tentative in the first half," coach Missy Meharg said. "The thing you want to take away from it is that if you're tentative, you're going to end up being behind the eight-ball."

In the second half, however, the Terps were an entirely different squad. Though they couldn't complete the comeback, the team managed to force six penalty-corner chances and take eight shots in the second half, huge improvements from the zeroes posted in each category in the first half.

"Our performance in the second half was something we were really happy with," midfielder Megan Frazer said. "It was a mindset that we adjusted."

With the ACC Tournament beginning in just more than a week, the Terps know the length of their postseason run will hinge on their ability to play their kind of ball in both halves, not just one.

"I thought the second half was strong, but we're looking at a situation where we're in a position to aspire to get those two halves together," Meharg said. "Gain some confidence and put together 70 minutes. … That's when we're at our best."

TOP LOSSES

The Terps have lost just three times this season, but whom they have fallen to may show the divide that exists between the Terps and the nation's upper crust.

The team's three defeats have all come at the hands of the top two teams in the nation — two losses to No. 1 Old Dominion and Saturday's at No. 2 North Carolina — a fact that may prove worrisome if the Terps meet up with either at the sport's championship weekend in mid-November.

But even with the struggles against the sport's top teams, Meharg isn't concerned with her team's performance.

"I think it's good fortune that the teams we have come out underneath have been higher ranked than us," Meharg said. "If you look at the stats in all those games, I think the Terps are right in it on all of them."

Still, the three losses make clear the issues the team has had when facing the nation's elite. Meharg knows the Terps have the ability to win these games. Now, it's simply a matter of stepping out on the field and doing it should they face off again.

"It's a personal kind of conviction," Meharg said. "When the girls are relaxed and feel prepared, they play great hockey. That's what we'll just keep working on; the goal will certainly be 70 minutes."

FRESHMAN FORCE?

For the first 35 minutes of Saturday's game, the Terps blanketed the ACC's leading scorer, Tar Heels midfielder Kelsey Kolojejchick, keeping her completely off the first-half stat sheet.

And it was largely thanks to the stellar defensive efforts of midfielder Steffi Schneid.

A freshman from Munich, Germany, Schneid rarely left Kolojejchick's side in the game's first half, rendering Kolojejchick almost a complete non-factor. It was only after Kolojejchick moved up from midfield to forward in the second half that she was able to escape Schneid's shadow and score a goal.

Though Schneid has yet to score in 16 games this season, her improving play has not gone unnoticed. After coming off the bench in the team's first 13 contests, Schneid has started the past three for the Terps.