Women's soccer opens NCAA Tournament slate with two problems

The Terrapins women's soccer team has seen its fair share of talented players this season.

From Wake Forest's Katie Stengel, the ACC's offensive player of the year, to Virginia's Morgan Brian, the conference's freshman of the year, the Terps rarely had a chance to catch their breath this fall.

And with La Salle visiting Ludwig Field tonight in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in their first-ever tournament appearance — and with the No. 18 Terps' season on the line — they'll face two more talented playmakers in forward Kelsey Haycook and midfielder Renee Washington.

Coach Brian Pensky said the talent of the Explorers' stars won't be lost on his players. In addition to the team's weekly film sessions, he sent them highlights of the Explorers to watch on their own time.

"They'll see a number of the goals that these two kids have scored," Pensky said Tuesday. "With it, there will be instant respect, and I don't know about fear, but certainly concern that if we don't take care of all the little things and defend the way we know how to defend, proper angles and support and when we have the ball hunger to score goals, then we're going to be in trouble Friday night."

Haycook and Washington have combined for 26 of the Explorers' 41 goals on the year, a staggering 63 percent of La Salle's scoring. Haycook has scored on 27 percent of her shots, and her 0.84 goals per game rank 11th nationally.

But stopping La Salle's dynamic duo will be a tall order — literally.

The 5-foot-10 Washington and 5-foot-9 Haycook are taller than all but three of the Terps expected to play tonight, something that could create a number of mismatches for the team.

Pensky said midfielder Domenica Hodak, who is listed at 5-foot-4, will be charged with trailing Washington in the midfield, but he's most worried about what happens when the ball is in the air. The Terps' three tallest active players — 5-foot-10 midfielder Amy O'Sullivan and 5-foot-9 forwards Hayley Brock and Sade Ayinde — have all seen significant playing time recently, and they could see even more to best match up with the Explorers.

While the Explorers bring a high-powered offense into College Park, they also have a stingy defense that has allowed only seven goals over their 19-game schedule. Goalkeeper Melissa Sanger has saved 90 percent of the shots she has faced and has 13 shutouts this season.

After a hot start this season, the Terps' offense has been stifled since the onset of ACC play. The Terps' 3-0 win at Florida State marked the only time the Terps scored more than two goals since a 5-1 win over American on Sept. 7.

"I think we're just going to need to fly at them, run at them, break them down with our speed and our athleticism up top and just put the type of pressure on them offensively that they might not have had in their own conference," forward Jasmyne Spencer said.

But despite La Salle's membership in the Atlantic 10, a mid-major conference, the Explorers' stat sheet is enough to catch the Terps' attention.

"No matter what conference you're in, every team that enters the tournament is going to be good, no matter what," defender Skyy Anderson said. "Everyone wants it just as badly as the next team, so I'm expecting them to come out hard and ready to play us."

The Terps have gone 11 days since their most recent game, a 2-0 loss at No. 8 Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, and have been concentrating on conditioning and being both physically and mentally healthy for the NCAA Tournament. The team said it has recovered from an emotional eight-day span that included a 3-1 loss at No. 3 Duke, a 2-1 overtime win over No. 19 North Carolina on senior night and the ACC Tournament loss.

"It's good to go in with a little bit of confidence," Spencer said. "You don't want to show any team too much respect to where you don't come out and play your own game, but it is the tournament and anything can happen, so we're not overlooking them by any means."

La Salle has organized a service to bus fans down to College Park from the school's Philadelphia campus for the tournament, and Pensky said he watched a video showing fans storming La Salle's field following the team's victory over Dayton in October.

And as the team scouts Haycook, Washington and the rest of the Explorers, the Terps are determined not to end up on a La Salle highlight reel the way so many other teams have this season.