WASHINGTON — The Terrapin field hockey team came into yesterday’s game against American fresh off a win against then-No. 3 Wake Forest on Saturday, and a résumé that already included wins against California, then-No. 9 Boston College and then-No. 13 Penn State.
The Eagles, a team that just dropped out of the top 20, shouldn’t have caused the No. 1 Terps too much trouble — at least not judging by what the Terps had already accomplished.
But American almost turned the midweek match, nestled between two ACC games against top-five teams on the Terps’ schedule, into a trap game. After a Terp goal to start the game, American (4-4) used a stout backfield to hold the Terps back until the final 15 minutes, when the Terps (11-0, 2-0 ACC) scored twice to seal a 3-0 win.
“Probably our first minute or two minutes shocked them a little bit, but they really stepped up after that,” back Emma Thomas said. “They made it really hard for us to get any outcomes. We didn’t get many corners, we didn’t get many shots, and that’s pretty rare for us, so credit to them.”
Forward Katie O’Donnell scored less than two minutes into the game after forcing a turnover, giving her team a quick lead. But that was the last goal the Terp attack scored.
The other two goals were scored by Thomas. She knocked in a penalty stroke with 14:11 remaining on the clock, then blasted a penalty corner into the cage with less than a minute left to play.
The Terps needed the set plays to get on the scoreboard because they were struggling to find shots otherwise, even when they moved inside the circle. The American backfield challenged them at every turn, and the high-octane offense struggled under the pressure.
“I think it’s great that we found a way … when they really weren’t allowing the forwards to take shots,” Thomas said. “And we have great forwards who score a lot of open-play goals, so great tactics by them to prevent that.”
Behind goalkeeper Alyssa Poorman, American allowed just 1.54 goals per game on average coming into the match, the lowest of any opponent the Terps have faced so far. And the defense’s strength showed.
Although the Terps kept the ball in Eagle territory for most of the game, they were often prevented from getting inside the circle. And even when they did, they had offensive opportunities broken up before they could even get off a shot attempt.
“You’re in the circle, and you’re just pounding and pounding away, and things just don’t hit the back of the net,” forward Janessa Pope said.
In the first half, the Eagles limited the Terps limited to four shots. Although the Terps scored on just their second possession, they could not build momentum and capitalize after the first goal, much like Saturday’s Wake Forest game when the team converted its first shot for its only first-half goal.
But unlike the match against the Demon Deacons, which opened up after halftime, the game at American stayed close almost the whole way.
The Terps never got completely comfortable on offense. Although their play improved toward the end of the game, as they notched nine shots in the second half, they still tied a season-low of 13 for the game. And for only the second time this season, they had less penalty corners than their opponents, losing that battle 5-4.
“They were right in people’s faces,” Thomas said. “It was really hard to get shots off because they were right there all the time.”
The Terps came out on top, but they need to improve before a tough upcoming week. Starting Friday against No. 3 Virginia, the Terps play three top-15 teams in eight days.
If the Terps want to succeed, the attack will need to find its rhythm again.
kyanchulis@umdbk.com
