Maryland field hockey goalkeeper Sarah Holliday dove to the ground in an attempt to stop Iowa’s low penalty corner shot in the 47th minute Sunday. But a series of deflections lifted midfielder Ellie Holley’s initial shot high into the air, off defender Bodil Keus’ shoulder and into the net.
Holley’s goal erased Maryland’s 1-0 lead, but forward Linnea Gonzales and midfielder Madison Maguire ensured the game wouldn’t be deadlocked for long.
Less than three minutes after Holley’s equalizer, Gonzales rocketed a pass into the circle, and Maguire reached her stick just in front of a Hawkeye defender to poke it into the net from close-range. The impressive score would be the game-winner, as No. 2 Maryland dispatched No. 8 Iowa, 2-1.
“We knew that they were going to be there throughout the whole entire game,” Maguire said. “We knew we had to keep our momentum and play a consistent 70 minutes and we were going to win the game.”
The Terps didn’t always look stellar against the Hawkeyes, however. For just the fourth time all year, Maryland allowed its opponent to take the first shot of the game. On Sunday, the Terps didn’t take a shot against goalkeeper Leslie Speight until the 24th minute.
Maryland did score the first goal of the game about 10 minutes later, though. Forward Lizzy Dessoye forced a turnover in Iowa’s defensive zone and passed the ball to forward Taylor Mason. Mason gave Brooke Deberdine the ball just inside the circle on the left side of the goal, and DeBerdine easily scored into the right side of the net, securing the Terps’ lead just before halftime.
“Iowa is just a really good team and they came out with a lot of energy,” Mason said. “We took a deep breath and … we were able to score because we were playing our game and weren’t getting caught up in how much energy Iowa had.”
Still, a week after an inconsistent offensive performance led to Maryland’s first loss of the season, the attack again wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Iowa outshot Maryland, 8-5, and had eight corners while allowing Maryland just two.
A four-save performance from Holliday helped coach Missy Meharg’s squad neutralize those disparities and leave Iowa City with a victory.
“She’s playing to her potential and these are the games that she loves,” Meharg said. “I’m not surprised. I’m super pleased for us that she had such a good day.”
