Field hockey has talent, but no star, in repeat bid

It's not often you see a defending national champion enter a season facing an identity crisis of sorts. But for a Terrapins field hockey team that spent its last four seasons built around star attacker Katie O'Donnell, this year's quest to repeat last year's triumph will hinge on the search for a new star.

Without O'Donnell, the Terps will have a decidedly different look in 2011, even as they find themselves in the all-too-familiar position of being a championship favorite. O'Donnell, the 2010-11 ACC Female Athlete of the Year, led the Terps to their seventh national title in program history with 32 goals and 34 assists, 10 and 23 more than the next-highest mark on the team, respectively.

As the Terps enter the season with the pressures of a national-championship defense but without last year's top player, coach Missy Meharg said it will be up to the entire team to help replace her production.

"Being the reigning national champ, if we want to stay as present as we can, the reality is we have a pretty big target on our back," said Meharg, now in her 24th year as Terps coach. "It was important for us to start and create our own new identity."

That process started Friday in Philadelphia when the top-ranked Terps (2-0) took on No. 19 Boston in their season opener. In their first game of the post-O'Donnell era, the Terps hardly seemed to struggle, defeating the Terriers, 3-1. They also topped Temple, 6-0, on Monday.

The victories were an important early step for the Terps, Meharg said, showing they could learn how to win games without having the benefit of a go-to player on the field.

"No one on this team has ever had to be ‘it,' so I wasn't very sure how they would come out," Meharg said. "What I loved is that they really played equally. Everyone contributed the same amount, which was really neat."

"O'Donnell played a massive part both on and off the field for the team, so it's big shoes to fill," senior midfielder Jemma Buckley said. "We need to play the best field hockey we can play so we can fill the shoes that Katie left."

Helping the Terps will be the addition of a talented freshman class, three members of which played a role in their victory Friday. Attacker Maxine Fluharty and midfielders Steffi Schneid and Katie Gerzabek all played meaningful minutes against the Terriers, showing the depth and talent the Terps have to possibly one day replace O'Donnell.

"We had three freshmen play at once," Meharg said. "That was very impactful, and that's not typical of this level."

Defending a national title is never an easy task, but it's especially difficult when done without one of the program's brightest stars. Asked what would key a return to another championship game, Meharg said: "Identifying ourselves; whatever this new team is, having a real strong identity. And I saw it [Friday]. Outside of the win, I'm really pleased with that sense of identity for the 2011 team."

vitale@umdbk.com