Riley Donnelly stood at the penalty spot, 6.4 meters away from the cage with just under a minute left in Friday’s win over Ohio State. She already had one goal in the young season, and coach Missy Meharg sent her out after Maryland field hockey earned its first penalty stroke attempt.
The junior toed the pitch just to the left of the ball. She aimed low and fired a shot that snuck between Buckeyes goalkeeper Aaliyah Hernandez and the right post, extending the Terps’ lead to 2-0.
Donnelly has been an integral component of Maryland’s offense this year. Through the first two weeks, she has netted two goals and collected three assists.
And it’s for those performances that she’s been named Big Ten offensive player of the week.
[Maryland field hockey drops rematch with Northwestern, 2-1]
The Doylestown, Pennsylvania, native assisted each of Maryland’s goals scored in its season-opening 2-0 win over Michigan State. Then, she scored the lone goal in the Terps’ first loss of the season, where it fell 2-1 to Northwestern. And she kept rolling this past weekend.
Not only did Donnelly drill the penalty stroke that sealed Friday’s victory, but she also fed Bibi Donraadt for the only goal Maryland scored on Sunday — one that brought the Terps back into the match.
Maryland continues its season this weekend. The Terps travel to State College, Pennsylvania, for a pair against the Nittany Lions on Friday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at noon.
