In the 48th minute of Maryland field hockey’s game against Michigan State on Oct. 7, forward Welma Luus took a shot from the edge of the circle and crumpled to the turf.
The referee stopped play as trainer Sandy Worth came onto the field to examine Luus. After about a minute, the sixth-year senior rose to her feet and walked to the locker room, trying to avoid putting weight on her left ankle.
She didn’t return to the 3-1 victory, and Luus and coach Missy Meharg limited her participation over the weekend.
Luus didn’t play in the Terps’ overtime victory against Ohio State on Friday, but she took the field, scoring twice, against Penn State on Sunday to help the team clinch at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.
“We took a risk,” Meharg said. “We made a decision she wouldn’t play [Friday], but let’s make sure she’s as close to being good enough for [Sunday’s] matchup.”
Luus still wears a walking boot when she’s not on the field, so the No. 6 Terps estimated she could push through only one of the two weekend games.
If she played Friday, the team felt Luus might not be 100 percent healthy or available for the two-day turnaround against No. 5 Penn State, a clash of the Big Ten’s top two teams.
But Ohio State — in last place and winless in the conference — almost downed the Terps before they traveled to State College, Pennsylvania. The Buckeyes forced overtime, despite Maryland holding a 19-11 shooting advantage in regulation.
The Terps felt Luus’ absence.
“We almost put her in,” Meharg said, “because we were in a tight spot.”
Luus has been the team’s most effective scoring threat from the run of play. The Pretoria, South Africa, native leads the team with 12 goals and 70 shots. So as the Terps struggled to finish shots against the Buckeyes, Luus was anxious on the sideline.
“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Luus said. “We didn’t finish as much as we would’ve liked to.”
Forward Linnea Gonzales, however, quelled that fear with a game-winning goal in the 77th minute, giving the Terps the opportunity to grab a share of their third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title with Luus on the field.
“It was great coming back — that is always a good feeling,” Luus said. “Excitement really carried me today. I was really focused on using my opportunity.”
Less than three minutes into the game against the Nittany Lions, a pass deflected off Gonzales’ stick and flew toward Luus. From the middle of the circle, she controlled it with her first touch and whacked it into the bottom corner with her second.
Luus scored her second goal of the game in the 44th minute, deflecting a cross from forward Emma Rissinger, as part of the team’s 3-0 run to start the second half.
She said the nature of her injury makes it difficult to guess the exact timeline of her healing, but Meharg trusted in Luus’ rehabilitation with Worth and watched her leader shine in the top-10 matchup.
“Sandy Worth is a miracle,” Meharg said. “You can put that in the story.”
