Terps celebrate after Jill Witmer deflected a shot by Sarah Sprink to give the Terps an early lead in their 4-1 win over Virginia on Oct. 20, 2013.
At the start of the Terrapins field hockey team’s game against Virginia, Cavaliers forward Elly Buckley slung the ball out of bounds deep into the Terps’ half. It gave Virginia the chance to put early pressure the Terps’ backline.
The Cavaliers hoped to repeat the success Old Dominion had in their 2-1 win on Oct. 20, when the Terps struggled to break through the Lady Monarch’s pressure.
But the Terps team which started slowly last Sunday looked a distant memory. After a series of quick, accurate passes, the team was in Virginia’s half of the field orchestrating an attack. The Terps controlled the tempo of the game throughout the night, earning a 4-1 win against No. 5 Virginia Friday night at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.
“We just came out fighting and played as a team more than we did in Sunday’s game,” forward Welma Luus said. “I think that’s what took us through.”
The victory clinched the Terps’ No. 1 spot in the ACC, which means they will receive a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament.
The Terps controlled the game from the outset, outshooting the No. 5 Cavaliers, 11-1, in the first period. Despite their aggressive approach in the second half, Virginia could reduce the deficit to two only temporarily, as the No. 1 Terps denied the Cavaliers (15-4, 3-3 ACC) a route back into the game.
“The team grew more this evening than we have in a period of time the whole season,” coach Missy Meharg said. “From structure in the defense, which we talked about, and finishing.”
After a weekend where they scored four goals off 35 shots, the Terps focused on improving their efficiency in front of goal during this week’s practices in preparation for Friday’s game.
The results of those practices showed, as the Terps (16-1, 5-0) got on the board in less than five minutes. Midfielder Sarah Sprink slapped a shot from outside the circle, and forward Jill Witmer guided the ball into the goal cage for her 15th goal of the season.
Eight minutes after the opening goal, Witmer got the assist for the team’s second goal. She received the ball in the Cavaliers’ circle and slid the ball to midfielder Maxine Fluharty, who flung a shot that hit the right side of the net.
“When you work the whole week on finishing, … you come into the game and you have the opportunity you’re just ready to take it,” Luus said. “You know you’ve done it all week in practice so it’s easy for you to just take the shot and be confident.”
With a minute left in the first period, the Terps continued to pull away. Virginia goalkeeper Jenny Johnstone made two saves on a Terps penalty corner, but Fluharty put away the third attempt to make it 3-0 before the half.
The Cavaliers entered the second period with a more offensive mentality, and midfielder Katie Robinson brought the deficit to two goals after deflecting a penalty corner shot from forward Elly Buckley into the net.
The goal provided a temporary boost for the Cavaliers, but Terps forward Welma Luus scored in the 52nd minute to put the game beyond doubt. She corralled a bouncing pass from outside of the Cavaliers’ circle, eluding a defender in the process and whacked a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal.
“With players like the ones Virginia had on the field, that was a very securing goal,” Meharg said. “She’s a winner.”
The Terps’ early start against the Cavaliers was key en route to their win on Friday night. The team returned to the quick passing that was missing during its loss to Old Dominion, giving the Terps the confidence to move forward from their past struggles.
“Very, very pleased with the women,” Meharg said. “Really playing two-touch hockey, which is something else we talked about, that makes everybody feel like they believe and belong.”
