Moira Putsch
The Terrapins field hockey team recognized its five-member senior class at midfield before the start of the final regular season game on Senior Day. But the contest wasn’t just about honoring the mainstays.
With a win over Iowa, the Terps would clinch the program’s first-ever Big Ten regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament starting next Thursday.
And their 11th consecutive victory did just that. The No. 2 Terps defeated No. 14 Iowa, 4-1, at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex to clinch the Big Ten.
“It’s been a great ride being in the Big Ten,” coach Missy Meharg said. “Today, I’m so proud of all the women…being the first Big Ten regular season champions is quite a tribute to them.”
When the opening whistle blew, the focus stayed on a senior. Midfielder Maxine Fluharty, who entered the game with a team-leading 13 goals, made an impact on both sides of the ball.
After Hawkeyes (11-7, 4-4 Big Ten) goalkeeper Alexandra Pecora kept the game scoreless with a flurry of saves, Fluharty broke the tie with a backhanded effort midway through the half. Pecora came sprinting out of goal in an effort to clear the ball with a diving effort, but Fluharty corralled the ball and sent it into the back of the cage.
“Max is special,” Meharg said. “She’s just a great athlete, and she can play at any line or any position on the field.
The Millsboro, Delaware native nearly extended the lead later in the half on a rebound opportunity off one of the Terps’ (16-2, 7-1) seven first-half corners. Fluharty’s shot clanked off the post, though.
On the defensive end, she blocked Iowa’s first two penalty corners as the flyer. And on the Hawkeyes’ final corner in the period, goalkeeper Brooke Cabrera made a kick save for her first stop in more than two games.
Cabrera benefitted from a stout Terps defense that ranks first in the Big Ten in goals against. The Terps held Iowa forward Natalie Cafone, who is first in the conference with 18 goals, without a shot in the opening period.
“Sarah Sprink and Steffi Schneid in the back were amazing,” Meharg said. “Natalie Cafone is a world-class player.”
Terps forward Alyssa Parker was able to extend the lead to 2-0 in the final minutes of the half on a tip-in at the far post off a penalty corner. The Terps outshot the Hawkeyes, 16-4, in the first half, but Pecora’s nine saves kept the game within reach for Iowa.
And the Hawkeyes’ offense exited the locker room determined to make a comeback. Iowa bombarded Cabrera with shots to open the second half, but the redshirt senior kept Iowa at bay through the first 14 minutes.
“They just were really aggressive,” Cabrera said. “They wanted it just as much as we did. Although they did get down to my end, we were really poised and focused.”
The Hawkeyes, however, managed to capitalize on a long rebound opportunity off Cabrera’s pad and cut the Terps’ lead to one midway through the second half. Pecora failed to keep it a one-goal deficit for long, though.
Midfielder Anna Dessoye responded with the Terps’ third goal 65 seconds after Iowa’s goal on an assist from midfielder Lein Holsboer. And Iowa never threatened the lead again.
Fittingly, Fluharty left the final mark on the game. She ripped a shot into the bottom-right corner to seal the victory, which resulted in the Terps raising the Big Ten conference trophy for the first time in school history.
“It was just a really special day,” Fluharty said
