University of Maryland: Innovative yet Backwards
So far on this blog, I’ve written only about teams that I’ve seen in person and am familiar with. I don’t like to pretend that I’m an expert on places I haven’t been because, like, I’d just get a ton of stuff wrong and that’s not what I’m about. HOWEVER, I have decided to branch out and write about just such a team because they’re interesting, fun, and have a lot on YouTube.
**All video clips by The Eighth Man**
Maryland is the only team so far this season to repeat as Regional Champions after the Gambits defeated the Lost Boys this weekend and has done so in truly bewildering fashion. After dismantling their entire region prior to regionals, they needed a comeback snitch grab and last second goal to finish off their championship run. Still, Maryland sits at an impressive 20-1 record, having only lost to Tufts (another regional champion) in a game where they laid a complete egg on offense, missing shots and passes left and right.
This team is fascinating to watch, owning at the same time both an offense that is a whirring machine and an antiquated defense that bleeds bludger control and oozes goals.
If you haven’t seen my map of the pitch yet, you might want to before going any further.
Maryland’s offense doesn’t jump off the page. They’ve only averaged 102 qppg, a notch below QCB, Tufts and the Warriors (108.3, 107, and 105.4 respectively), but it’s how they’ve scored that’s impressive.
Linear offenses have become in vogue in the Northeast. Tufts and QCB elect to bring the quaffle up behind their beaters and drive down the middle of field or passing to a chaser at shallow X. NYU adds the wrinkle of swinging the ball from wing to wing but ultimately drives downfield for the same looks.
Maryland’s offense is from an entirely different planet. They have learned how to utilize every inch of the field and understand how to manipulate a defense. Maryland has learned that the trick to an offense is drawing the defense (specifically bludgers) away from the juiciest areas in the paint and then passing or driving the quaffle into that open space. While Tufts and QCB look to power their way through beaters, Maryland cleverly moves around them.
Maryland constantly looks to get the ball to the corners which allows them to hit cutters from X or in the paint. Beaters are put in an awkward spot, because while the chaser doesn’t have a direct shot, they can hit passing options anywhere on the field easily.
The Terrapins also make better use of pick plays than their Northeast rivals. Erin Mallory has gotten a lot of buzz as a cutter and scorer, as she should, but she is also a willing screener who is always looking to get her teammates open.
Watch that play again. It’s one of the more impressive plays UMD runs because of where it’s located. Instead of trying to set up a pick and roll in the middle of the field, Maryland starts on the left wing, which allows Greenhouse to get open in the middle of the field. While he does make a great block on the bludger, the whole field is open to him and he has passing options and space in front of him.
Maryland realizes that getting the defense moving side to side is what creates openings and driving lanes and they have smart players that realize once that opening appears, they can drive through it, draw help defense, and pass to get an even better shot.
This scheming works in tandem with Maryland’s tremendous depth and player development. Maryland is also one of the few teams to substitute hockey style, swapping entire chasing lines at a same time, which allows them to keep their offense moving all game and wear down their opponents. With every chaser and keeper is an impact athlete, the fact that they’re always fresh is just unfair. Look at UMD unleash Bryan Barrows, one of the fastest players in the country right before the snitch is released.
A couple of chasers do deserve extra recognition in what they bring to the table for the Terrapins. Harry Greenhouse is pretty much the region’s most famous player and he’s an incredibly talented driver and midrange shooter. What is underrated about him is that he is unselfish and a great passer that uses his driving to open up options for his teammates.
Steven Sleasman is possibly the team’s most polished chaser. He never stops moving on offense, making smart cuts behind his defender and sniffing out offensive rebounds. He catches nearly every pass thrown his way and is a wizard at finishing shots around the hoops. His ability to keep the quaffle alive and moving side to side powers the offense whenever he’s on the field and his presence was definitely missed at Mid-Atlantic Regionals. Just look at how often he’s open (#6 for reference) and how many plays he makes.
Maryland is also home to two amazing female chasers in Erin Mallory and Liz Ebeling. Mallory plays a lot like Sleasman, in constant motion, setting picks and making cuts to not only shoot but also to make another pass. Liz Ebeling stands out as a physical chaser capable of bulling through defenses like few other females.
Despite all of these strengths, this kind of precision has not been consistent and in every big game they’ve played (UNC, Tufts, Villanova), Maryland has gone through a period of settling for driving linearly and trying lob passes over the hoops. Once the offense stagnates, players tend to get frustrated and force the issue instead of falling back on what they do so well.
Maryland might not be piling up the points at the highest level right now, but you can see what they’re building. Once polished, this dynamic offense is going to be a handful to prepare for.
As ahead of the field Maryland is on offense, they are seriously lagging behind the times on defense. They give up 76 qppg against qualifying opponents, hardly an elite number. Lots of people have reduced their defensive problems to blaming their beaters. Let me clear something up right now, these are elitely talented beaters. Starting beater Jeremy Dehn is an absolute force who moves well all over the field and has an accurate arm. He’s arguably the most fun player to watch on Maryland.
His partner Isabella Newton is tougher than most in the region capable of defending beaters in one-and-a-half situations and can make some big plays. Ricky Nelson and Emily Carmado are a very good pair as Nelson is an absolute bull who will come in handy when Maryland matches up against Southwest juggernauts, and Carmado covers for him very well when he gets caught out of position. These are seriously talented beaters. They aren’t the problem, the scheme is.
The Terrapin defense is very simple. A beater will pick up the ball carrier as they cross midfield while their three chasers tightly cover every passing option. You can see their logic: “our chasers are athletic and can take out all passing options and you’re going to have to beat us by yourself.” Unfortunately, this puts a ridiculous amount of pressure on their beaters to deal with the ball carrier and incoming beaters at the same time. This requires near perfection.
They’re talented enough to pull it off, and when it works, it forces a pass that is easily intercepted. Too often though, they are isolated and taken out. Because their beaters are the only thing standing between the ball carrier and the hoops, Maryland can never try to keep bludger control and loses it nearly every time on defense.
This also lets chasers get up a full head of steam moving towards the paint. This pulls the keeper out of position and can open up passing options. UNC scored tons of goals by driving into the paint or the midrange and shooting past the overwhelmed keeper.
Maryland’s dedication to this scheme is intense. Max Miceli doesn’t even realize how open he gets just by swinging the quaffle across the top of the pitch (something NYU loves to do).
Still, Maryland’s athleticism has kept them afloat. Every quaffle player is quick and athletic, getting to loose balls and tipping passes. Their keepers don’t tackle much, but they still make great plays around the hoops.
This style of defense used to be popular around World Cups V and VI but has mostly become extinct as teams bring their beaters up more and more on offense. Even if your point chasers are just going to get beat, it is important to add a layer between your beaters and their beaters. On top of that, it actually makes teams use their bludger on offense. This may sound like a given, but sometimes teams can force UMD out of bludger control without even throwing theirs. Teams are happy to pick on Maryland’s beaters, not because they’re bad beaters but simply because they’re alone.
A COUPLE QUICK NOTES ON SEEKING
Maryland likes to stall the clock if they can when they’re up and have the quaffle. Against Villanova at MARC, Barrows just scurried around the entire field with Nova’s beaters on the snitch. This allows UMD’s beaters to focus on the snitch without allowing any goals. That’s good because they can fall behind in no bludger situations. UNC went from up 80-70 to up 100-70 in the MARC finals with the snitch on pitch and Tufts took off in the Oktoberfest finals.
This connects to the problems with their defensive scheme. Since UMD doesn’t naturally look to pick up the ball with chasers, they can get caught completely off guard in transition until it’s too late.
Still, Greenhouse is as good a seeker as you’ll find, and their seeker beating is nearly flawless. Even if you can keep it close against Maryland, they’re 5-0 in snitch range games this season. With some refinement, UMD is going to be an extremely tough out by World Cup, and a team capable of a deep run.
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