Fall Practices – Who’s Who and What’s What

– In the past few years, the offensive midfield was considered to be just a bit behind the attack and close defense in terms of impact on the team. That’s not the case right now. The Terrapins five of six players from its top two midfields from a year ago, so those units should be the strength of the team. It’s no surprise that the leader of this unit is senior Joe Cummings. Not only is he such a versatile offensive player, he has also worked extremely hard on the defensive end of the field. His lacrosse IQ alone makes him valuable offensively and defensively. Add in seniors Jake Bernhardt and Drew Snider and juniors Kevin Cooper and John Haus and the midfield has depth, scoring ability and athleticism. Also impressive in the midfield were 2011 short-sticks Michael Shakespeare and David Miller. Both came into the fall in good condition and could be the backbone of a possible third line.

– The attack took a bit of a hit with the graduation losses of Grant Catalino, Ryan Young and Travis Reed, but Owen Blye returns as a fourth-year junior and will need to be the leader there for the Terps in 2012. Not surprisingly, Blye came into camp in excellent condition and continued to refine his game. The other two spots are still up for grabs and likely will not be decided until February or beyond. There are solid candidates including sophomores Sean McGuire and Rustin Bryant. Both of those players showed flashes this fall, but will need to continue to progress. Of course the option is always there to move Cummings back to his natural attack position, but for now he remains a middie.

– As much as the attack lost to graduation, the close defense took an even bigger hit. Not only did the Terrapins graduate three starters, but the top two reserves also graduated. That leaves defensive assistant Kevin Warne with a lot of holes to fill, but Maryland is not without talent. One of the most impressive performers of the fall was redshirt freshman Casey Ikeda. Ikeda came to College Park last fall with a shoulder injury and never had the chance to pick up a stick and show what made him one of the top recruits in the nation coming out of high school. Now that he’s healthy, it didn’t take long for him to show why. Ikeda quickly became one of the top defenders on the team and showed quick feet, a good stick and a solid knowledge of the system. He also seems to be one of those guys that once they get on the field they just have “it.” No one can define “it,” but you know “it” when you see “it” and Ikeda seems to have “it.” Another defender that impressed was sophomore Michael Ehrhardt. His size fits the classic “Maryland defender” and he is also solid athletically. He still has some rough edges to smooth over, but his upside is pretty good. The biggest wild card at close defense could be sophomore Brian Cooper, who was give a long pole and looked at down low. Cooper is an exceptional athlete who seemed to pick up the schemes fairly well. How he progresses could be one of the team’s biggest storylines in the spring.

– Last fall (and even into the early spring) there was a battle for the starting goalie spot. No such battle this season as sophomore Niko Amato returns for an encore to his spectacular first season.

– The Terps lost three-time All-American Brian Farrell at pole, but there won’t be much of a drop off at the top long pole spot. Junior Jesse Bernhardt is among the best and is arguably the top long pole in the nation. All you have to do is watch him play and it’s easy to see Berhnardt is on another level – a tenacious defender, an animal when the ball is on the ground and a threat in the transition game.– Junior Landon Carr returns as the team’s top short-stick option, but from there it looks to be a mixed bag. The offensive midfielders are all capable defenders and could be more two-way players this season. That could lead to more transition opportunities and an increase in tempo.

– Another set position that was anything but a year ago is the face-off spot. Junior Curtis Holmes had one of the most dominating seasons ever for a Terrapin facing-off and will be the No. 1 option on draws this season. But don’t expect Holmes to top his single-season record for face-offs taken. The Terrapins have more options this season with sophomore Dan Noskin having a year of competing with Holmes under his belt and freshman Bobby Gribbin in the mix.

– That brings us to freshmen. The old adage in football is that the most popular player in town is the backup quarterback. I liken that to the interest in freshmen during Fall Ball. It’s the unknown that makes them interesting. Most – and this, I’d figure, goes for just about every freshman on every team around the country – are just trying to figure out what to do, when to do it and what they can do to get yelled at the least.

In the positions where freshmen could be expected to contribute right away, David Solomon, Kevin Forster and Jay Carlson each have different skill sets and displayed flashes of brilliance at attack, but need to be more consistent. Long poles Goran Murray and Kellen Miller both were impressive at times, but need to adjust to the physicality of college lacrosse.