Maryland Terrapins
Overall Rank: #12
Conference Rank: #6 ACC
Maryland Team Page
Jonathan Morgan was promoted to head coach last season at Maryland after serving as an assistant for five years. His team had several big wins and fell victim to upset losses to Fordham in the regular season and was knocked out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Denver. The foundation, however, is in place for continued long-term success under Coach Morgan as the Terrapins proved they could continually beat anyone in the nation on any given day when they are playing at their best.
2012 Record: 14-7-2, 6-3-1
2012 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Jonathan Morgan
Strengths:
The experience up front for Maryland is going to be a huge strength in 2013. The two anchors in the attack will be Hayley Brock and Becky Kaplan, who combined for 25 of the 45 goals scored by Maryland last season. Brock and Kaplan are arguably the best returning duo of forwards in the ACC and in the country. Maryland also did a very good job of getting out fast against their opponents in 2012 as they outscored their opponents 20-7 in the first halves of matches. The Terrapins also did a great job on the road last season with a 6-2-2 record. The ability to win on the road, especially in the rugged ACC Conference, is a tremendous asset to have and that will only help Maryland in its quest to get one of the 16 protected seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Weaknesses:
The defense has to improve. Maryland gave up just over a goal per match last season. That is not bad defense but it is not enough to make a run to the College Cup. Things that will help Maryland address this issue will be to keep more possession and cut down on the amount of set pieces and shots by the opposing sides. For example, Maryland was only a plus 12 in total number of corner kicks, as they conceded 100 corner kicks. If the Terrapins can get this difference to a 2:1 or higher ratio, it will take the pressure off their defense a great deal. It will also benefit the attack as they then will have more of an opportunity to wear down defenses in the second half of matches.
Final Projection:
The experienced duo of Brock and Kaplan will lay the foundation for Maryland and help the team compete and make a deep run in the College Cup. The con-conference schedule is a challenging one and is highlighted by a matchup in Palo Alto on September 8th when Maryland gets a shot at Stanford. The Terrapins have the offensive firepower to battle Stanford, but the key will be defending Courtney Verloo and Taylor Uhl. The conference schedule is loaded with road tests at Notre Dame, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida State. There will need to be an extra emphasis on not conceding points at home in conference play and doing as much as possible to get results during those four tough road matches. If Maryland can navigate their conference schedule, stay healthy, and shore up the defense, they should end up as one of the Top 16 seeded teams in the nation come tourney time and threaten to be a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight team in 2013.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Hayley Brock, Senior, Forward, 13
Assists: Hayley Brock, Senior, Forward, 6; Becky Kaplan, Redshirt Senior, Forward, 6
Shots: Hayley Brock, Senior, Forward, 53; Becky Kaplan, Redshirt Senior, Forward, 53
Saves: Rachelle Beanlands, Redshirt Sophomore, 61
Madness 2014 NWSL Draft Rankings:
#25 Hayley Brock
Madness 2013 Women’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#14 Lauren Berman
#45 Alex Anthony
See All Women's Soccer Top 44 Team Previews
