Oct. 11, 2008
by Brian Logue, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
BROOKLANDVILLE, Md. - With eight starters gone from last year's 18-3 squad, there's no question that Maryland's women's lacrosse team will have a new look in 2009. For Saturday's 11th annual Price Modern Lacrosse for Leukemia tournament, Maryland coach Cathy Reese had to do even more juggling.
Junior Caitlyn McFadden, the Terps' top returning scorer, was off with the U.S. team in New York for the US Lacrosse Stars and Stripes event at Syracuse, and expected starting midfielder Brandi Jones was among a handful of players sidelined due to injury or illness.
You wouldn't have known it by the results Saturday at the St. Paul's School for Girls. Reese turned to a time-honored Terp recipe for success - homegrown talent with a little international flavor mixed in - to easily handle Louisville and Johns Hopkins. The Maryland offense, which had none of last year's top six scorers in uniform, looked very much like the unit that scored 14.9 goals per game last season to rank sixth in the nation.
For homegrown talent, Reese turned to a pair of freshmen from the Maryland public schools ranks - Karri Ellen Johnson and Kristy Black. Johnson, from Broadneck High School and a member of the 2007 U.S. U-19 team, had three goals in both victories and Black, from Glenelg High School, added three tallies in the 15-8 victory over Johns Hopkins.
"They're stepping in and stepping up," said Reese of her newcomers. "They're still learning how to adjust to the college game, but they're going to have a huge impact for us."
Reese's highest praise, though, was for her midfield unit led by sophomores Sarah Mollison and Laura Merrifield. Mollison, a member of Australia's 2005 gold-medal winning World Cup team, helped set the table on offense and had two goals in the win over Hopkins. Merrifield, a captain on England's 2007 U-19 team, used her 6-foot-1 frame and surprising speed to score three times in the win over Hopkins. In both games Merrifield used her height to score goals by essentially dunking shots over the goalie's head.
The Terps also got a boost from Karissa Taylor, a starter on defense last year who was playing midfield, and Amanda Spinnenweber, who had three first half goals against Hopkins.
"In the fall, we're playing a lot of different people and a lot of different combinations," said Reese. "We're really working on general concepts as opposed to running specific plays. I thought they played well together. It was a good effort."
News & Notes
Freshman Brittany Dipper is pulling double duty for the Terps this fall. She played in goal in the second half against Louisville and the first half against Hopkins before heading back to College Park for her field hockey game against Duke. Dipper is a back-up goalie in field hockey for the No. 1-ranked Terps...Reese's former assistant, Jen Adams, will have the spotlight on her this year in her first season as head coach at Loyola. Adams is already doing the little things right. Prior to their game against Rutgers, the Greyhounds wore royal blue t-shirts with a Superman-like "M" on the front with the words "Super Michael." The back said "Hounds Hero." The t-shirt was in honor Michael Coburn, one of 13 young boys and girls serving as honorary captains at the event. The captains have either overcome or continue to battle cancer. The event has benefited the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Maryland since its inception 11 years ago.
