When defender Bodil Keus scored on a penalty corner in just the third minute of No. 3 Maryland field hockey’s contest against No. 23 Ohio State on Friday, it seemed like a high-scoring game was in store.
The Terps didn’t find the net again after that, but they clearly had the dominant hand in the matchup, controlling possession throughout the game and locking down on defense en route to a 1-0 win over the Buckeyes at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.
“Maryland’s been pretty accustomed to getting a lot of goals … so it feels funny when we don’t,” coach Missy Meharg said. “We just got to stay at it.”
Much of the Terps’ advantage in possession came from 50-50 balls. After struggling at times to secure loose balls in its last contest against Princeton, Maryland (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten) fought harder for every ball to force against Ohio State (4-5, 0-2) and keep possession on both ends of the field.
“The biggest thing was just knowing how we felt when we were down 4-1 to Princeton and just not wanting to feel like that, so [we tried to be] the first person to those 50-50 balls,” midfielder Madison Maguire said.
Keus added that the team focused a lot on getting those balls in practice this week, with a specific emphasis on intercepts and aerials.
But the Terps couldn’t capitalize on such opportunities and struggled with shooting all night as they faced heavy defensive pressure from Ohio State. Only 11 of Maryland’s 21 shots made it on goal.
The Terps’ two leading scorers, defender Nike Lorenz and forward Linnea Gonzales, repeatedly sent balls wide of the net on chances they would normally score on. Lorenz had five shots but only two made on net, while Gonzales whiffed on all three of her shots.
“I just think we were off our mark in our timing,” Meharg said. “You have to have better reaction time and you have to have more precise movement with each other, and we were just a little bit off.”
Meharg also said her team wasn’t waiting in the right spots to get easy chances to score.
While the victory didn’t feature a strong performance from Maryland offensively, its defense starred. The Terps held the Buckeyes to three shots — all in the first 22 minutes — with only one on net, and didn’t allow a single penalty corner opportunity.
Despite the offensive hiccups, Meharg was impressed with the team’s communication.
“Our goaltending and our combination between Sarah Holliday and Bodil Keus as our center back was exceptional,” Meharg said. “Our defensive structure was excellent.”
Maryland picked up its sixth win over a ranked opponent this season as it continues its best start since 2013. The team also maintains its spot at the top of the conference standings.
“The women don’t feel great for some reason about this game, [but] I feel awesome,” Meharg said. “Ohio State is a great team, and I’m just really happy with our defensive performance.”
