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In their second season in the Big Ten, No. 7 Maryland field hockey won its first-ever Big Ten Tournament Championship, defeating No. 10 Michigan 5-1.
Senior Welma Luus was named Tournament MVP, scoring four goals in the championship game to bring her tournament total to seven. Luus' seven goals in three games broke a 34-year-old record for goals scored in the tournament, set by Northwestern's Nancy Fisher in 1981.
Maryland (19-3) got on the board early, scoring two minutes into the game. Senior Anna Dessoye found Luus in front of the Michigan goal. Luus made a move around Michigan goalie Chris Leub and put the ball in the back of the net.
Sophomore Floor Paanakker made it 2-0 with 18 minutes left in the first half. She received a pass from sophomore Lein Holsboer, and slotted it into the goal. It was Paanakker's second goal of the season.
Luus rocketed in her second goal of the game off a penalty corner with seven minutes left in the first half. Dessoye took the penalty corner, and found sophomore Carrie Hanks. Hanks's shot deflected off Leub, but fell right to Luus, who pushed the lead to 3-0.
Michigan (17-4) got one goal back a minute later. Sophomore Allie Sardo drove a low shot at the goal. Sarah Holliday, Maryland's star freshman goalie, who recorded four saves on the day, was unable to keep it out, cutting Maryland's lead to two.
In the second half, it was all Welma Luus. She scored her third goal of the game with about 15 minutes to play. Luus trapped the ball just inside the penalty circle and fired it into the net. It was her sixth goal of the tournament, tying Fisher's record but there was still more to come.
Five minutes later, the record was broken. Dessoye brought the ball into the circle and found the cutting Luus, who tapped it past the goalie. It was Dessoye's third assist and Luus' fourth goal on the day.
Maryland has now won 17 games in a row and will play this coming Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show will be tonight at 10 p.m. ET and you can watch it here.