Missy Meharg knows the 1999 national field hockey champion was a great team.

	Tagliente

	Meharg

But, the Maryland field hockey coach says, even last season's champ could stand to improve in a few areas.

"There are three very critical areas that darn 1999 title team needs to get a grip on," Meharg said. "They need to get the ball to the sidelines more, improve their execution with set pieces, and attack penalty corners."

But Meharg might just be her own worst critic; after all, she and the Terps won last season's title with a 24-1 record, including a 22-game winning streak.

Although Maryland, which returns its entire starting lineup, is among the favorites as the season opens this week, Meharg isn't kidding about the needed improvements.

"When we set out to make a few adjustments last spring," Meharg said, "we asked ourselves how we could be a better team than the 1999 national championship team, which just happens to be us."

MORE FROM MEHARG

While most voters might pick Maryland at the top of this fall's preseason rankings, Terps coach Missy Meharg said Connecticut, Old Dominion and North Carolina, among others, are teams to keep an eye on this season. Here's what Meharg had to say about some of those programs: "Connecticut is very systematically coached and very disciplined, with a good buildup game. The Huskies also have a couple of very dangerous forwards. They are just very disciplined, and Connecticut is a great club that way." "Old Dominion is just brilliant and always has been. From a coaching standpoint, you learn something every time you play against the Lady Monarchs. Beth Anders, their coach, is the best in the nation." "North Carolina has great players and a great tradition. The Tar Heels help make the ACC so strong, and they always give a great match." "Michigan is another team to watch. And Princeton might be coming back into being a really strong club this year as well."

Improving upon its 1999 effort might be tough, however. Maryland went 14-0 at home last season and outscored its opponents 127 goals to 27, notching 10 shutouts and posting a 1.04 goals against average. Still, winning the title for the second year in a row isn't Meharg's main objective as she sets out this season.

"I really don't believe we're defending much," she said. "The biggest challenge for us is to stay focused and keep doing this great sport justice, to continue to raise the bar and the standard of the sport, and to continue to show off this great game and keep it visible."

Maryland players like Honda-Broderick Award hopeful Carla Tagliente make sure the Terps are getting better every year. Meharg said the 5-foot-4 senior forward/midfielder, a three-time All-American who has competed with the U.S. national team since 1997, has exceptional technical and tactical skills.

"She has uncanny receiving skills and can settle the ball with one touch" Meharg said. "She also has very good field vision, knows where to put the ball before she sees it and is just an amazing passer.

"Had our Olympic team qualified for Sydney, Carla would have had a very healthy opportunity to be on that team. Either way, she will probably be with the national program for as long as she wants to be."

Several Terps, in fact, have national team experience, and Maryland also offers an international flavor. While four team members -- Tagliente, Keli Smith, Autumn Welsh and Dina Rizzo -- represented the U.S. Under-21 national team at the 2000 Pan American Junior Championships, defender Rachel Hiskins has played with one of the premier teams in the Australian women's league, and junior Caroline Walter is from Germany.

"So we have different people from different cultures playing different styles of hockey," Meharg said. "Nobody plays like that. That's our strength.

"I'm really comfortable with this group and with where they are. Now we just need to follow through on what needs to be done. It's always exciting when you have the same team back."

As long as it's better than that darn 1999 championship team.

Melanie Jackson is the college sports editor at ESPN.com.