Surging women's soccer looks to crack upper crust

Jasmyne Spencer stood on the edge of Ludwig Field on Friday night with her hands on her hips shortly after the Terrapins women's soccer team's scoreless tie against No. 2 Stanford.

The Cardinal's last regular-season loss had come back in 2008, but Spencer, the Terps' pint-sized attacker, wasn't entirely satisfied with a tie against one of the sport's giants.

"My gut [feeling] is — and I know a lot of people's gut is — a little disappointed we didn't come out with a win, but we're real proud," she said after the game.

"I think we came out a little timid in the first half, but then once we realized we could hang with them, then we just took control from there and ran with it."

That's been norm recently in College Park, where seventh-year coach Brian Pensky will lead a veteran-laden lineup that includes eight returning starters from last year's squad. As the Stanford result showed, it could be the most talented side he's fielded during his tenure, and the pollsters agree: The Terps were ranked No. 6 in the NSCAA's preseason poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history.

The Terps have come a long way from wrapping up one-win conference campaigns, as they did during Pensky's second and third seasons in College Park. Last season, they became the first squad in program history to earn a No. 1 seed in the College Cup, and their second-round loss to Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament only blunted some of the significance of their breakthrough.

Slowly, the No. 3 Terps (3-0-1) have begun to mold an identity under Pensky. Already just five wins short of tying former coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovksi's program record of 62, Pensky believes his squad has all the makings of a team that's capable of another College Cup run.

Still, despite the attention and accolades the Terps received both last season and this one, they aren't yet considered in the top echelon of their own conference, according to one preseason poll.

Despite returning eight starters from an 18-2-3 side that set a program record for fewest losses, the Terps were picked to finish fifth in the ACC by the league's coaches, behind North Carolina (ranked No. 3 in the preseason national poll), Florida State (No. 5) and Boston College (No. 4). Virginia, ranked at No. 10 to start the year, was picked to finish fourth.

"Quite honestly, we were a little disappointed," Pensky said of the vote. "I thought we might garner a bit more respect. I think we can knock some teams off."

Perhaps the biggest on-field shift for the team has been its transition to a new formation. It might not mark the most dramatic change from their standard 4-4-2, but for the first time since 2008, the Terps have opted to trot out a 4-3-3 lineup, which features an extra attacker.

It just made sense, Pensky said, given his team's personnel and his depth at forward.

Though Spencer has yet to find the back of the net this season, scoring has not been a problem for the Terps in their early action.

Senior forward Ashley Grove, who along with midfielders Becky Kaplan and Olivia Wagner has a team-high seven points, starts at forward alongside Spencer and Danielle Hubka. Sade Ayinde, Hayley Brock, Alex Reed and Cory Ryan are also in the mix at the position for the team.

The biggest question mark before the start of the season was the defense, from which two starters departed. But the veteran backline — a trio of seniors and a junior are the starters — has been stellar, not allowing a goal in its first four games. Lydia Hastings and Megan Gibbons play left and right back, respectively, while Mallory Baker and Skyy Anderson patrol the middle of the defense. All four played 110 minutes against Stanford.

Wagner, who laced the Terps' first goal on a perfectly placed shot from 24 yards out in 3-0 win against Navy on Monday, and Kaplan provide offense from the midfield. Junior Domenica Hodak, meantime, plays more of a defensive position in the midfield and helps control the pace and direction of the game with her field vision and passing skills.

"We haven't always been in the top of the rankings," Wagner said after the draw against Stanford. "I think we proved that we deserve to be here and we can run with the best of the teams. Stanford's a great program and they always have been, but I think people are starting to realize that so is Maryland."