Field hockey earns No. 1 overall seed in NCAA Tournament field

The Terrapin field hockey team, as expected, garnered the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament yesterday.

The Terps ran through their regular season with a 19-1 record and claimed their third straight ACC title Sunday. They held either the No. 1 or No. 2 ranking in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association national poll all season long.

The Terps crowded into the lounge area at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex last night to watch the 8 p.m. webcast. When the Terps were called, the room erupted in cheers.

The team will host Massachusetts in its first-round game Nov. 13. Should the Terps advance past the Minutewomen, whom they beat, 3-0, on Sept. 19, they will face the winner of Connecticut-American.

"It's always nice to have the number one next to your name, but going into this weekend, we have a pretty tough bracket," forward Katie O'Donnell said. "Yeah, we can celebrate the number one for a little bit, but then you go straight into looking at UMass and preparing for them."

ACC runner-up North Carolina, Virginia and Big East champion Syracuse round out the tournament's top four seeds.

This is the third year in a row the Terps have received the No. 1 overall seed. They won the national championship in 2008 but fell short in 2009, losing to North Carolina in the title game.

"I think if we learned anything from last year, it's the amount of pressure that can be put on a team to be number one," coach Missy Meharg said. "I don't think it really has any effect on this group."

jengelke@umdbk.com