Nicole Muracco has been on the run from the moment she stepped onto the University of Maryland campus last fall.
The Sewell, N.J.-native is a member of the Terrapins field hockey team, a program every other school in the country is chasing as it goes after its third straight NCAA title this season. Fifth-ranked Wake Forest became the latest team to fail to catch up to the second-ranked Terrapins, who defeated the Deamon Deacons, 3-2, in College Park on Saturday in a rematch of last year?s national championship game.
With the win over Wake Forest, Maryland improved to 9-0 overall and 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, giving it a half-game lead for first place in the conference standings over top-ranked North Carolina (10-0, 1-0). The Tar Heels host the Terrapins on Oct. 20.
Maryland goes after its 14th straight win dating to last season when it hosts defending Ivy League champion Princeton tonight at 7.
“The last two years have been a lot of fun,” said Muracco, a forward, who was the ACC Rookie of the Year last season after scoring 15 goals and dishing out 33 assists last year. “I like being the team everyone wants to beat because it makes every game a challenge. There?s never an easy game for us.”
Over the last 20 years, Maryland has won 5 national titles, reached the national semifinals 10 times and claimed 6 ACC tournament titles and 5 regular season crowns. The one constant through the Terrapins rise to prominence is Coach Missy Meharg. The Severna Park resident is 336-95-9 since taking over the team in 1988, and was an assistant when it won its first title in 1987.
Meharg has won at Maryland with young teams, veteran teams and teams like this season, which includes a mix of freshman through seniors contributing to its success. Meharg said this year?s squad may be even more balanced than last year?s ? even after losing Paula Infante, the two-time winner of the Honda Award, presented to the sport?s Player of the Year.
“We have a very interesting group this year,” Meharg said. “Across the board, we have players that can impact the game.”
Maryland?s leading scorer this season is freshman forward Katie O?Donnell, who has 10 goals and 11 assists, including two scores against Wake Forest. Muracco has nine goals and an assist for the Terrapins, who played in front of an ACC-record crowd of 1,734 fans against the Demon Deacons.
Muracco said she has never played in front of that many people, and hopes to have the chance to play in front of even more Nov. 16 and 18 should Maryland advance to the national semifinals and finals in College Park.
“It was crazy seeing that many people come to watch a field hockey game,” Muracco said. “We?re not as popular as football or basketball, so it was a great feeling to be recognized by our fans.”
