Maryland field hockey falls to Princeton, 2-1, snapping winning streak

No. 10 Maryland field hockey fell behind early to No. 17 Princeton and couldn’t stop the Tigers’ quick offense as they defeated the Terps, 2-1, on Tuesday in College Park.

After starting out their four-game homestand with a commanding 4-1 win over Bucknell, the Terps (5-3) faced the first of four straight ranked opponents in the Tigers.

The Terps faced an early hole just four minutes into the game, as Princeton striker Ryan McCarthy gave the Tigers an early 1-0 lead on her third goal of the season. Princeton intercepted a Maryland pass at midfield, McCarthy contained the ensuing through pass from a teammate just outside the circle, catching Maryland off-guard defensively as she slotted the ball in the back of the cage.

Around 20 minutes later, Princeton struck again, this time on a penalty corner. In the ensuing scrum off the shot, midfielder Clara Roth found an opening just over Holliday for her second goal of the season, putting the Tigers up 2-0.

The first half was very physical from both sides and full of chances. The stats were even on both sides, except for the score. Despite offensive pressure from the Terps in the Princeton half, the Tigers were too quick and tired out the Maryland defense as the half went on.

The half ended with the Terps down 2-0, despite leading in shots, seven to six, and penalty corners, four to two.

In the second half, the Terps came out with more intensity and created many chances early on. Just under 11 minutes into the half, the Terps were awarded a penalty stroke, which Bodil Keus converted for her fourth goal of the season, cutting the Princeton lead in half at 2-1.

Maryland had countless chances in front of goal in the half and the entire game, but Princeton goalkeeper Grace Baylis halted the Terps from equalizing, making her biggest save of the game with just over four minutes left, as she made a pad save on a Linnea Gonzales shot.

The Terps continued to pressure, choosing to play with an empty net for the last four minutes of the game, but even an extra attacker wasn’t enough to get through the Princeton defense, as the Tigers (2-4) pulled off the upset with a 2-1 win on the road in College Park.

Maryland’s schedule doesn’t get much easier as they finish off their home stand this week with No. 19 Iowa and No. 14 Northwestern on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Three things to know

1. Princeton’s tough early schedule paid dividends. While the Tigers came into game with a 1-4 record, all five of their games were against top-25 opponents. Their four losses were against top-five opponents (North Carolina, Delaware, Duke, Penn State). The stiff early competition was great conditioning for the Tigers, as they came into this game and pulled off the road upset.
2. Maryland’s schedule wasn’t so kind. After defeating Indiana 3-1 on Friday and Bucknell 4-1 on Sunday, the Terps came into this top-20 matchup with not much recovery time under their belts. They looked tired in the first half and it didn’t help that Princeton’s offense was quick.
3. Grace Baylis was outstanding. Princeton’s goalkeeper stopped seven of Maryland’s eight shots on goal, including several big saves at the end of the game. Other than the fast offense, she was the main difference in the Tigers’ win.