Third-ranked Maryland field hockey traveled to play No. 5 Princeton on Tuesday, and despite falling behind 4-1, the Terrapins snuck away with a 5-4 double-overtime win.
An early lead for Maryland was short-lived as Princeton built a three-goal advantage, but the Terrapins fought back to tie the game at 4-4 just seconds before the end of regulation. Despite having no saves, Maryland found a way to get the win, as Nike Lorenz scored on a penalty corner in the second overtime period.
Maryland came out firing to start the contest, as Madison Maguire generated a turnover and passed it to Kyler Greenwalt, who scored her first goal of the season under two minutes into the match.
Princeton would answer back just five minutes later, when Clara Roth sent a shot towards the goal and it was deflected in. She would then add another goal at the 18:15 mark by directing a shot from Hannah Davey into the back of the net. The Tigers would add a third goal before the half, as Roth attracted Maryland defenders and slid a pass to Jane Donio-Enscoe, who then beat Sarah Holliday one-on-one.
Despite the 3-1 halftime deficit, both teams seemed fairly even on that stat sheet. Maryland held a 2-1 lead in penalty corner chances and a 9-3 lead in shots, but both teams had three shots on goal through the first 35 minutes of play. Head coach Missy Meharg pulled Holliday at halftime, putting in Noelle Frost.
As the second half began, Princeton locked in on defense and left little to no room for Maryland to operate on offense. The Tigers would take a 4-1 lead after Julianna Tornetta scored on a penalty shot less than 10 minutes in for her third goal of the season.
The Terrapins would start to find some momentum later in the half, as Kelee Lepage scored her second goal of the season 49 minutes in off a penalty corner. This would be followed by another penalty corner chance less than five minutes later, but that goal would be disallowed and Princeton clung to its 4-2 lead.
In the 55th minute, Senior Sabrina Rhodes would then deflect in a shot from Brooke DeBerdine to score her fourth goal of the season and bring the Maryland deficit to just one goal.
Down the stretch, Maryland would pull Frost to add an extra field player and tied the match up. With just 15 seconds remaining, the Terrapins would score after Linnea Gonzales had her shot deflected by Maguire and Bibi Donraadt then sent it past the goalkeeper to force overtime.
In the second overtime period, Maryland earned a penalty corner and Lorenz snuck a shot past two defenders and the goalkeeper to give Maryland the victory. Her goal is Maryland’s 15th penalty corner goal of the season in just nine games.
Three things to know
- The Terrapins showed great resiliency after Princeton scored four goals in a row. Just as it’s gone throughout the season so far, Maryland’s offense came in waves. A quick goal was followed by over 45 minutes of little to no offense, but three goals in 21 minutes was the answer.
- Sarah Holliday only lasted the first 35 minutes in goal. The senior was pulled after giving up three goals in the first half. Holliday came in with a goals-against average of just 1.35, and just five goals given up. Her replacement, Noelle Frost, let in a penalty shot to begin the second half, but shutout the Tigers down the stretch.
- Maryland’s schedule does not let up at all in the near future. The Terrapins face No. 23 Ohio State at home on Friday, then host No. 8 Michigan on Sunday to continue Big Ten play. These two matchups are merely warm ups for Missy Meharg’s team, as they travel to Storrs, Connecticut, for a rematch of last year’s national title game against No. 1 UConn on Sept. 30.