Freshmen Contribute For Unbeaten Terps

Freshman Karri Ellen Johnson needed little time to make a strong impression on the Maryland women's lacrosse team. The two-time All-Met from Broadneck High dazzled her teammates with her stick skills and shooting ability in fall practices, and then scored four goals in the first 18 minutes of the Terrapins' season opener against Richmond on Feb. 15.

It took a bit longer for Brittany Dipper to make a similar impact. The goalkeeper missed nearly all of fall practice because she was a reserve on Maryland's national champion field hockey team, and then began the season splitting playing time with fellow freshman Mary Jordan (St. Mary's-Annapolis).

But when the second-seeded Terrapins (21-0) face third-seeded North Carolina (15-4) in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament tonight in Towson, Md., Johnson and Dipper will have equally large roles, despite their youth. Johnson, the ACC rookie of the year, leads Maryland in goals (70) and draw controls (69), and Dipper has a 9.20 goals against average as the team's established starter.

"Honestly, age does not matter, because they're two of the best players on the team," said junior midfielder Amanda Spinnenweber (Chesapeake). "They don't have that title of 'freshmen.' I can't stress this enough: They're just a huge part of this team and our success this year."

Maryland, which is in the national semifinals for the first time since 2003, has the youngest starting lineup of the four teams still alive. The Terrapins have no senior starters -- four-time defending champion Northwestern and Ivy League champion Pennsylvania, the other semifinalists, have five apiece -- and rely heavily on a core of sophomores and juniors. They are the only team with a freshman starting goalie.

"We're expecting players like Karri Ellen and Brittany to step out and be amazing players for us, so they should be treated the same way as everybody else. That's a big belief we have with our team," Maryland Coach Cathy Reese said. "No one's been to a final four here. Our coaches have. I think it's a great experience for our girls, but in the end it's another game."

The Terrapins' strength is their explosive, creative offense -- Maryland is third in Division I with 15.95 goals per game -- and Johnson is at the center of that. Four Terrapins have scored at least 40 goals this season (Caitlyn McFadden, Laura Merrifield and Sarah Mollison are the others), but Johnson is known as the team's finisher; she has a .631 shot percentage.

Johnson was a standout midfielder in high school but moved to attack at Maryland; her 70 goals are a Maryland freshman record. The Terrapins like to move the ball quickly on offense and score off assists, and Johnson makes an inviting target because of her strength. Her teammates are confident that if they get her the ball, she will finish the play with her left-handed shot.

"Puddy can just see that cage perfectly," said Dipper, referring to Johnson by her nickname. "She just turns and she can see that one little spot that I might have open, and she just sticks it. It's not all about the power with her; her placement and her finesse is just amazing."

Dipper has had a chance to see Johnson's shot up close in practice, and getting to face players like her and McFadden, the ACC player of the year and a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, regularly has helped her adjust to the college game. Because of field hockey, she made only a handful of fall lacrosse practices, and that set her development back a bit, according to Reese. But at the same time, her experiences as a field hockey goalkeeper have prepared her for the pressures of ACC and NCAA tournament play, and as a result, Dipper has fewer jitters.

"She's used to working hard. I think all our goalies are great, but she has the extra fire and motivation," Johnson said. "If you play two sports, you obviously have to work really hard. . . . Dipper is an awesome goalie, and it's been wonderful because our last couple of games she's stepped up and been a huge leader."

Dipper is athletic and aggressive, and she won the starting job by the fifth game of the season. But there were rough patches during the year: In a 17-16 victory at then-No. 14 Ohio State on April 5, Dipper was pulled late in the first half after giving up seven goals and failing to record a save. But she bounced back with five saves in her next game, a 13-8 victory over North Carolina, and in the ACC tournament, making 12 saves in a 15-7 win over Virginia and 10 saves in a 12-11 championship victory against Duke.

"It's been fun to watch [Dipper] come into her own this year, because you've seen a complete change in her -- not in her playing style, but in her confidence," Reese said. "Karri Ellen stepped on the field and just played. She just giggles and has a good time and plays lacrosse."