After struggling at the start of games throughout the 2016 season, the Maryland field hockey team was focused on correcting the issue.
Tuesday, the Terps jumped in front when forward Olivia Reiter tapped in a penalty corner in the 13th minute. Her goal helped set the tone in No. 7 Maryland’s 2-1 victory over No. 13 Old Dominion. Coach Missy Meharg’s squad has now won eight of its past nine games.
Reiter’s goal marked the first time the Terps scored first since their 2-1 win over Princeton on Sept. 20.
“It gives you that extra comfort,” forward Welma Luus said. “It’s definitely much nicer to get the early score and get up on the scoreboard.”
The Terps (9-3) had 21 shots, including 12 in the first half, and outshot the Monarchs by 17. Old Dominion (6-5) attempted one shot in the second half.
Luus notched the game-winning goal off a pass from forward Linnea Gonzales in the 45th minute. After Gonzales stole the ball around midfield, Luus charged toward the net and launched a shot past Monarchs goalkeeper Kealsie Robles.
“They’re all very unselfish and want to win,” Meharg said. “I was thinking I hope she passes it to Welma for the backhand. What happened is I [had] hoped.”
Goalkeeper Sarah Bates made her first start of the season in place of Sarah Holliday, making two saves on four shots. Bates appreciated the Terps’ quick start.
“It really helps,” Bates said. “Mentality-wise you have that extra cushion but you want to keep going. It really eases us defensively…knowing we have that cushion.”
Plus, now the Terps know what it takes to begin games fast.
“Just the energy that we brought to the very start of the game,” Luus said. “Our passing was great and we really played together. We need to take that into every game.”
The Terps got out to the early advantage, but Old Dominion was able to level the contest just before half.
In response, Meharg and her staff made some tweaks in the team’s formation. The Terps changed their backline, moving a midfielder further to the side to stretch the field and moving their forwards around to create more space.
The moves helped the Terps shut out Old Dominion the rest of the match, which allowed Luus’ goal to serve as the game-winner.
While the match may have been a break from their Big Ten schedule, the Terps didn’t overlook Old Dominion. It was another opportunity to right their early struggles and perform the way Meharg wanted them to.
Even though the match was low scoring, the 29th-year coach liked what she saw.
“We’ve just been talking about creating a dominance when we step onto the field,” Meharg said. “That was a really big, key thing for us, not even just the scoreboard, but in terms of dominating the game.”
