In possibly their final home game in College Park, seniors Janessa Pope and Megan Frazer made it count. The two co-captains accounted for all of the team’s goals, and the Terrapins field hockey team held on for the eventual 3-1 victory over Rutgers.
Both teams failed to put the ball in the net through the first 24 minutes of the contest, and three would-be goals for the No. 6 Terps were waved off in the first half. But Pope, with an assist from forward Kirstie Dennig, broke the stalemate, scoring with less than 11 minutes remaining in the half.
It didn’t take long for the Terps to separate themselves. Defender Sarah Sprink ripped a shot three minutes later off a penalty corner, and Frazer deflected it past Rutgers goalkeeper Sarah Stuby to increase the squad’s lead to 2-0.
But in the final ten minutes, the fairytale Senior Night win was put in doubt. The Scarlet Knights’ Alyssa Bull scored off a penalty in the 62nd minute, and then Rutgers suddenly controlled the possession of the game, which the Terps had dominated up to that point.
But the strong Terps defense, which limited Rutgers to four shots on the night, stymied any last-minute comeback plans, and Frazer iced it with a hard shot in the last minute of the game to win the game for the Terps.
The team will now wait the announcement of the ACC Tournament bracket, which will be released this weekend. The quarterfinal round will be played at Chapel Hill, N.C., next Thursday.
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