Hope Rose stood at the top of the shooting circle and prepared for a penalty corner in the midst of a tied match. Rose received the insert and nailed the stomach of the goalie with her shot. Maci Bradford found the rebound and tapped the ball in to restore the Terps lead.
No. 9 Maryland field hockey broke the third-quarter tie en route to a 2-1 win against Indiana and its seventh victory in a row on Sunday. The Terps (14-3, 6-1 Big Ten) celebrated the team’s eight seniors on senior night in their last home game of the regular season.
Margot Lawn broke through the Hoosiers’ defense halfway through the first quarter. Maryland’s offense passed around Indiana’s shooting circle until Lawn gained possession. She used her stick work to maneuver around two defenders, pull left around the Hoosiers goalie and flick the ball into the net.
“Margot is outstanding. She’s so serious about the game, she absolutely adores the game,” coach Missy Meharg said. “What I’ve seen with Margot that’s been amazing is her maturity and understanding of the game and now she’s able to put us up on the board.”
Lawn, a fifth-year senior, returned to College Park after she received a starting forward position on the team and notched her seventh goal of the season.
[Hannah Boss scores twice as No. 9 Maryland field hockey surges past No. 5 Iowa, 4-1]
The Terps put high pressure on Indiana (5-12, 0-7 Big Ten) early on and capitalized via Lawn’s goal in the opening frame, establishing dominance early on.
Rayne Wright moved up the right side of the pitch and out of her deep defensive position throughout the first half. Wright played higher up the field, establishing herself as more of an offensive player and getting some stick time in the Hoosiers shooting circle.
“Just shifting from the center to the right, sometimes it gives me the opportunity to carry more,” Wright said. “Usually, Joise is up there but for her to be able to be more attacking also helps me go a little bit forward.”
Alyssa Klebasko, who was recently named Big Ten freshman of the week, saw a lot more action in the second half, successfully defending against nine Hoosier corners in the match. Klebasko protected her net by lunging towards the shots and anticipated the ball well, jumping and diving around the goal to make seven saves.
[No. 10 Maryland field hockey tops No. 9 Ohio State, 2-1, for fifth straight win]
Klebasko and her backline faced three straight Hoosier corners in a row early in the third quarter. After a goal line save and a recovered ball on the first two attempts, Indiana’s third corner put them on the board.
Hoosier midfielder Sofia Arrebola Garci received the ball after an insert at the top of the circle. In one quick swing, she drove the ball over Klebasko who laid out on the goal line. The equalizer increased the intensity on the pitch and Maryland’s passing game became more precise.
The Terps’ goal late in the third quarter put Maryland on top and gave them the advantage they needed to finish out the game with a win. The Terps will head to Illinois to face off against No. 3 Northwestern for their final match of the season.
“They came very much with a mixed bag of zone and man-to-man and I thought it was outstanding coaching and preparation and they made it difficult for us,” Meharg said. “Thank god for the fact that we’ve worked our way out of it and found the board a couple of times.”
