In the first 19 minutes against Michigan State, Maryland field hockey took 10 shots but couldn’t convert a goal. Then, in just a two-second span on the game clock, the Terps had two goals.
Defender Sophie Giezeman scored at the 19:19 mark, and the Terps received a penalty corner the next second, which forward Linnea Gonzales converted to give Maryland a 2-0 lead.
The No. 3 Terps scored one more time in the first half before allowing Michigan State its first goal late in the period. But that would be the only goal allowed for the Spartans. Maryland scored twice more and held the Spartans scoreless in the second half en route to a 5-1 win over Michigan State.
The victory marks Maryland’s eighth straight win on the season to continue its undefeated run. The Big Ten win also secures the Terps’ spot at the top of the conference standings.
“That first goal was kind of like the icebreaker for us. And after that first one, we kept up the intensity and the energy just shot up after that,” forward Linnea Gonzales said. “We need to bring that out from the start and not just look for us to have to score to have that energy.”
Maryland dominated the Spartans in shots, not allowing Michigan State a look at goal until the ninth minute into the contest, and its first shot on goal came in the 23rd. Maryland outshot the Spartans, 22-6.
Maryland also excelled in its 10 penalty corner opportunities. The team couldn’t find a way to score on its first three, but had success after that. While the Terps only scored directly on one, they had four goals on shots immediately following those corners.
“One of the greatest things we did was our attack penalty corner. … I was very impressed with that execution,” coach Missy Meharg said. “We’re getting at a place that’s pretty sophisticated and I wouldn’t be surprised if Maryland has if not the highest execution in the country or probably one of the top two.”
Meharg credited the team’s performance on the corners to assistant coach Marvin Bam, who oversees that area of play and plans each strategy.
Gonzales led the Terps offensively with two goals, giving her the team-lead with eight.
“Linnea is a phenomenal player,” forward Mayv Clune said. “She just has so much experience and such good stickwork. She just helps the team out so much, and whether it is playing in a forward position or a center-mid, she can pretty much do anything. … As a forward, for me, that’s comforting, knowing that I have someone like that on the line.”
Defenders Bodil Keus and Nike Lorenz also had big contributions for Maryland. Keus notched two assists while Lorenz scored one goal and added an assist.
Lorenz only had limited time in play though. In the second half, the junior fell and was kicked in the head by a Michigan State player. Lorenz remained sidelined for the remainder of the contest.
Meharg said the coaching and training staff are still in the process of evaluating the injury and are being very careful due to the nature of head injuries. The team’s second leading scorer is alert, though, according to Meharg.
