Women's soccer looking to play possessed

Over the Terrapins women's soccer team's recent stretch of play, which has taken the squad through a handful of ups and downs, coach Brian Pensky always found one facet worth harping on.

The team's ability to keep possession, he said, would tell how the game was going to go.

After the team's 4-1 loss at Virginia on Sept. 15, Pensky said his players "had a little bit of [a] deer in the headlights" attitude when they had the ball in the high-pressure environment.

But when the Terps do keep possession, they have the ability to be a dangerous team. At Clemson on Thursday, the Terps had a 2-0 lead just more than 20 minutes into the game and were able to play keep away in the second half to preserve a 2-1 victory.

"It was just putting an emphasis on doing a better job of keeping the ball," Pensky said. "We weren't incredibly dangerous going forward, but at least we were keeping the ball away from them a bit."

While possession obviously plays a big role in any team's success, the Terps' high-powered offense, maybe more so than others, needs the ball regularly. During the team's recent struggles, for which Pensky cited lack of possession as a major issue, the Terps struggled to generate goals in the run of play, instead relying on set pieces for scores.

"We're trying to play pressure and catch defenses off-guard and attack from there," forward Hayley Brock said after the Terps' 0-0 draw with N.C. State on Sept. 25. "We're doing pretty well with it. Obviously, the goals haven't come yet, but they'll come in time."

The N.C. State matchup, which came near the end of a rigorous ACC slate, marked a low point for the favored Terps, who were unable to generate any offense against the Wolfpack.

"I think we turn the ball over to our opponent a little too easily," Pensky said. "Our urgency to maybe get in the right spots needs to improve. Our team works so hard and they're so committed to being good; I think they're tired right now. And when you're tired, you have the tendency to cut corners a little bit, so I think it starts with our possession."

HOLDING STEADY

The start of ACC play coincided with a free fall through the national polls for the Terps. Ranked as high as No. 3 on Labor Day, the Terps were No. 18 on Sept. 27 after their scoreless tie with N.C. State.

With their win at Clemson, the Terps' fall should be halted when the new polls are released today. And with No. 5 Wake Forest coming to Ludwig Field on Saturday, the Terps will have an opportunity to boost their national profile.

In a testament to the ACC's competitiveness, the conference has seven teams ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association poll. The Terps are tied for fifth with Virginia in the ACC standings with their 2-2-1 conference record. Duke, Wake Forest and Boston College are undefeated in conference play.

HISTORY MADE

It took three tries, but Pensky finally won his 63rd career game as coach of the Terps on Thursday, moving him into first place on the all-time list Thursday. He passed his predecessor, Shannon Higgins-Cirovski.

The Terps' first try at No. 63 ended in a stunning overtime loss to Boston College on Sept. 22, and the tie with N.C. State denied the seventh-year coach the record again.

dgallen@umdbk.com