The season’s first snowstorm wreaked havoc across the Northeast this weekend, dumping heavy snowfall across the region and leaving millions without power. It even delayed the start of the Terrapins field hockey team’s road game against Rutgers by more than an hour.
For all the ill affects the storm had on the northeastern power grid, it couldn’t shut down one of the Terps’ most electric goal scorers.
Midfielder Jemma Buckley notched her second hat trick of the season and the fourth of her career yesterday, leading the No. 3 Terps in their regular-season finale as they shut out Rutgers, 5-0.
“We had a very positive day, and it was a fitting way to end a great season,” coach Missy Meharg said. “What I was most impressed [about] with the players was how flexible they were with the snow up here, with the change in plans. … There were no distractions for these guys. They were very professional and very eager to compete.”
The Perth, Australia, native continued to be as much a force on set pieces as she has been all season for the Terps, scoring two of her three goals on penalty corner chances. Buckley scored the game’s first goal less than nine minutes in, ripping a shot past Scarlet Knights goalkeeper Sarah Stuby to give the Terps (15-3) an early one-goal lead.
After midfielder Steffi Schneid’s first goal of the season gave the Terps a 2-0 lead at halftime, Buckley netted another penalty-corner shot from the top of the shooting circle early in the second half to extend the Terps’ lead to three. She finalized her hat trick late in the game, when Buckley took a pass from defender Harriet Tibble and chipped it in from the right side of the goal.
The hat trick was the first Rutgers (5-13) conceded this year, and the Terps’ five goals are tied for the most the Scarlet Knights have allowed in a game this season. Buckley’s efforts today gave her 18 goals for the season, one behind ACC leader Kelsey Kolojejchick of North Carolina.
“Our plan for the game was to come out, apply as much pressure as we can and play a really aggressive style of hockey,” Buckley said. “It was good that we were able to come out and put five goals on the board.”
Yesterday’s game marked the ninth time this season the Terps have scored at least five goals in game and the third time the team accomplished the feat in its past four contests.
But lost in the offense’s impressive performance was the dominance the Terps’ defense showed over the Rutgers attack. Terps goalkeepers Melissa Vassalotti and Natalie Hunter weren’t challenged once in the cage all game as the Scarlet Knights mustered just one shot.
“We had our strongest defensive performance of the year, which was great timing for that,” Meharg said. “We played six different people in deep defense, and really made a very good defensive showing.”
The win was a positive one for the Terps in their final regular-season contest, but Meharg maintains the team has a lot of work left to do. With potential matchups against two top-10 teams in Duke and North Carolina upcoming in next weekend’s ACC Championship, carrying efforts like Buckley’s into postseason play will be paramount for the Terps.
“We’ve done it the whole season, I just think it’s getting better at the right time,” Meharg said. “We have an opportunity to digest it, move forward to the postseason and put us in a position to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.”
vitale@umdbk.com
