Moving back, then forward

Caitlin McDowell laughed uncomfortably when Brian Pensky intimated last fall that she would make a great attacking outside back.

An attacking personality her entire soccer career, McDowell, then a junior on the Terrapin women's soccer team, brushed aside her coach's suggestion.

But as McDowell nears the end of her senior season, she laughs at her hesitation about the possible position switch.

In moving back this year, the co-captain has led the Terps forward, helping engineer the program's most successful regular season from her newfound spot at left back.

"It was definitely a shock at first. I never thought I could play in the back," McDowell said. "I think [Pensky] saw something in me that I didn't see."

The sixth-year coach's instincts were right. McDowell has started every game this season for the Terps, who earned their first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, and with better results than she would have guessed. She has more than doubled her previous season high in points, and her 11 assists rank second in the ACC.

"I'd say Caitlin's our first true playmaker at the wide back position," said Pensky, who allows his wide backs a certain degree of freedom to jump into the offensive attack. "She's been awesome."

McDowell's transition to the backline has been eased by the chemistry she's developed on the left wing with midfielder Lydia Hastings. Throughout the season, McDowell and Hastings have worked well with each other, and having two attacking personalities with top-tier dribbling talent has made the Terps deadly from the left side and Pensky a happy man.

"They're both savvy little dribblers and connectors, and they've really embraced that partnership together," Pensky said. "They feel each other really well."

McDowell also noted that having Hastings in support allows her to be comfortable jumping into the attack. That was evident last weekend in the ACC Tournament, when Hastings turned away numerous attacks in transition after McDowell had jumped into the rush.

"I love playing with Lydia," McDowell said. "We can read each other really well. I love combining with her."

Despite her successful and seamless transition to a new position, McDowell still isn't 100 percent acclimated to her new position.

"Sometimes, when they're doing the starting lineups and saying, ‘In the back: Caitlin,' I'm like, ‘Whoa, that's weird,'" McDowell said.

Other than occasional confusion courtesy of the public address announcer, the senior has impressed in her new position despite an obviously restrictive characteristic: At a slight 5-foot-4, she is substantially smaller than fellow starting defenders Colleen Deegan, Mallory Baker and Skyy Anderson.

"The one concern I had from her was, sopping wet, she's about 110 pounds," Pensky said. "And we play against some real women."

That has proved to be a non-issue for McDowell, who has helped lead the Terps to new heights this season. The team starts what it hopes will be a lengthy NCAA Tournament run with the highest seed in program history when it hosts High Point at Ludwig Field tonight.

After a period of uncertainty about whether she was right for the switch — "I don't think she was too excited about it at first," Deegan said — McDowell now is hoping she can extend her short tenure at the position for at least a couple more weekends.

"I wasn't unhappy [about the switch,]" McDowell said. "I always want to do what's best for the team, and if they need me there and they think I'm going to help the team there, than that's where I want to be."

"All Caitlin cares about is this team winning," Pensky said. "She just wants this to last forever."

TERP NOTE: Student tickets for tonight's game will cost $3 with a valid student ID.

cwalsh@umdbk.com