After scoring just 14 goals in its first two games, Maryland has exploded (relatively speaking) for 11 and 12 goals in victories over then-No. 11 Penn and Drexel, respectively.
But coach John Tillman is tapping the brakes lightly on suddenly crowning the No. 9 Terps (3-1) as an offensive dynamo.
"I do think we're a work in progress," he said during his weekly conference call this morning. "I'm not sure we have it all figured out yet. We have a lot of new parts. We kind of have a new identity. We're really trying to figure out what works best with these guys and I think that's probably going to be something that as the year goes on and we see different things and other guys grow, we'll constantly be tinkering, constantly trying to figure out what we do best.
"Having [former attackman] Michael Chanenchuk down there just gave us so much leadership. We felt like when times got tough, Michael would get us organized, and that was really helpful for us. He also was a guy that you really had to focus on and that made everybody's job easier. We're still cautious to figure out where we are and what we're doing. We're four games in, we're not even a third of the way in, and we see some of the really talented teams we have going down the road. I do think we're sharing the ball better, we're trusting each other better, our stickwork is starting to improve. But all of those facets have to get better. We have to shoot smarter, but I think we're making some progress. I don't think we're there yet and I think everybody realizes we've got to continue to work in that area."
One encouraging sign is the offense's sudden display of sharing the ball. After compiling six assists in a win against Navy and a loss at then-No. 14 Yale, Maryland has totaled nine assists in its past two contests. Tillman attributed that in part to several experienced players trying to create opportunities without relying on their teammates.
"I think having looked at some film, some of the guys realized that there's a place and time when you want to make your move and you maybe want to try to make a play, but we were just a little too quick to try to make those plays instead of maybe letting them happen in the flow," Tillman said. "It is kind of a fine line that you walk sometimes. You don't want to handcuff your players. You want them to be aggressive, yet you also don't want to rush plays and you want to make sure that you're organized behind the ball, you have the right people on, you're set up and your balance and spacing are good, and you're also not always taking the first shot, but you're getting the best shot.
"You also don't want to over-think it so that the kids are hesitant because you want them to play fast. … We're going to keep working on that."