The Terrapins field hockey team has given up 25 goals in 14 games against 13 different opponents so far this season. Somehow, one player is responsible for nearly a quarter of them.
After scoring three last month against the Terps, Old Dominion forward Emma Batten added another three Friday for the No. 1 Lady Monarchs in a win against the No. 3 Terps, revealing a potential weakness in the team's defense.
While the Terps still rank among the nation's top 25 in goals allowed per game, their defensive struggles against Batten are cause for concern. With the ACC Tournament less than three weeks away, their ability to contain some of the game's brightest stars will be paramount to the Terps' postseason chances.
"When you have a world-class player like that, if it's not her scoring the goal, it's her manipulating the space to get the other forwards space. She's brilliant," coach Missy Meharg said. "It's been hard for us. It's been really looking in the mirror and asking ourselves, ‘What does it take?' One player has six goals in two games, and it makes it a little personal."
In Old Dominion's three-goal victory over the Terps, Batten notched her second hat trick against the Terps this season, keying their defensive downfall with a series of timely tips and accurate shots. Led by Batten's efforts, the Lady Monarchs netted five goals in the game, the most the Terps have allowed all season.
"We're going to start with making defense, individually and collectively, more personal," Meharg said. "That's a conviction. When I drop the ball between you and I, somebody's going to win it and somebody's going to lose it. It is that black and white."
The Terps have had some early-season individual success this year, holding the ACC's fourth-leading scorers, Virginia's Elly Buckley and No. 7 Duke's Emmie Le Marchand, to a combined one goal. But with some recent defensive lapses, adapting to Meharg's concepts will be an important step in the redevelopment of the Terps' defense as they prepare to face a potent group of players in the coming weeks.
With potential rematches with some of the league's best players looming in November's ACC Tournament, limiting the impact of stars will be vital to the Terps' chances. Even with some early-season success, Batten's latest triumph over the Terps was worrisome.
"They're able to move at the right times to really force us to make decisions," defender Ali McEvoy said. "We tried our best, but I think [Batten] was just able to manipulate us and beat us."
The Terps' next test will be Saturday, when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on No. 2 North Carolina and the conference's leading scorer, Kelsey Kolojejchick. The Tar Heels boast the best defense in the nation, so stopping the junior midfielder will be especially key.
Still, before the Terps can worry about how to contain Kolojejchick and the rest of the Tar Heels' attack, the team must focus on a home contest against in-state rival Towson tomorrow night. Holding American to one goal on seven shots Sunday showed how stifling the Terps' defense can be, but if that effort is going to continue for the remainder of the season, Meharg said her team must buy into one basic principle.
"It is simple: ‘I will not be denied,'" Meharg said.
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