Maryland came out aggressively on Sunday afternoon at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex against Miami of Ohio, seeking to prove that their Friday loss to #2 UNC was an aberration. While Miami (Ohio) had the first 2 penalty corners of the game, the Terps eventually wore down and overwhelmed the Redhawks.
Unranked Miami (Ohio) proved to be a much easier opponent than the Tar Heels and it showed on the field. The Terps had more space to operate and weren't turned away time and time again by a stout defense. The passing was better and they put a lot of shots on goal. Maryland only mustered 7 shots against UNC on Friday. They had 10 in the first half against the Redhawks.
Alyssa Parker got the scoring started off of a feed from Moira Putsch with 13:54 left to go in the 1st half. Maxine Fluharty struck again for the Terps with 8:35 left to go in the half pushing the lead to 2. Maryland's defense was suffocating, allowing only 2 shots in the half.
The Terps came out of the break firing, drawing a penalty corner just two minutes into the 2nd half. Sarah Sprink made it 3-0 with 21:48 left in the game on a great pass from Steffi Schneid. Maryland dominated the 2nd half until a late penalty corner by the Redhawks ended the shutout with 4 seconds remaining on the clock. Gabby Goldach scored the lone Miami (Ohio) goal. Redhawks goalie Alysa Xavier was in a shooting gallery all game long. She had 13 saves on 27 shots. "She was phenomenal.", Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said after the game. The Terps dominated in all facets but especially offense, out-shooting Miami (Ohio) 27-5.
It was a solid performance for the Terps and it was a performance that was badly needed after their lackluster performance against the Tar Heels. Maryland goalie Brooke Cabrera summed up the win, saying, "It feels good!" Maryland has a week to get ready for their next opponents, Drexel and Temple, who will be coming to College Park next weekend.