Nine of Maryland field hockey’s 10 outfield players stood side-by-side beyond the 23-meter line in the fourth quarter. Defender Josie Holloman, the lone player absent, was preparing to take a vital penalty stroke in the 52nd minute.
The sophomore stared down Scarlet Knights goalie Sophia Howard as the referee’s whistle sounded. Hollaman approached the ball and sent a shot toward the right goal frame as Howard dove in the opposite direction. The ball sunk in for a score.
“I had a lot of time to think before [Howard] got there,” Hollaman said. “I was just thinking I need to nail this so we can get our momentum up and win the game.”
The penalty stroke goal – No. 7 Maryland’s first of the season – gave the Terps a lead they would never surrender in a 3-2 win over No. 13 Rutgers at Maryland’s Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex Friday.
Maryland (5-2, 1-0 Big Ten) won the first clear chance of the game after six-and-a-half minutes. The Terps failed to create a shot from the opportunity as midfielder Hope Rose lost control of Hollaman’s setup.
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Less than a minute later, Rutgers (3-3, 0-1 Big Ten) tried a different approach on its first penalty corner by playing the inlet pass directly to a shooter. The attempt was immediately stuffed by a quick close-out from Maryland. But the Scarlet Knights took full advantage of their next penalty corner less than three minutes later.
Rutgers forward Guillermina Causarano delivered the inbounds pass to the top of the shooting circle. Midfielder Anna Cogdell took a wave at the set-ball but didn’t make clean contact.
Her miss-hit shot looked to be going wide of the cage but instead fell straight to the stick of forward Bridy Molyneaux. The redshirt senior made a slightly delayed diagonal run from the edge of the shooting circle, pushing Cogdell’s off-target effort across the line to give Rutgers a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute.
Maryland was also without Rayne Wright on Friday, a centerpiece of the its backline. Despite Wright’s absence, the Terps’ defense held strong for most of the game after conceding the opener.
“We’re really comfortable when she’s back there, but I feel like we did a great job adapting to her not being there,” Hollaman said.
Neither side created many opportunities the rest of the half.
Following a dull opening quarter, Maryland’s offense looked marginally more cohesive in the second frame, but ultimately couldn’t manage a shot. The Scarlet Knights similarly failed to take another shot in the opening half.
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Rutgers held its 1-0 advantage into the halftime break. The Terps returned to the field with a heightened sense of urgency.
“What I love about the team is their ability to be able to pull each other up [and] follow the game plan,” Meharg said. “We had some tactical changes in the second half that really worked to our favor.”
Maryland registered its first shot of the game less than four minutes into the third quarter. Midfielder Maya Everett appeared to grab the equalizer a few minutes later, but the goal was chalked off following a review.
With just under two minutes until the close of the third quarter, midfielder Alina Gerke crossed the ball into the shooting circle from the right sideline. Rose ran towards Gerke’s pass, deflecting the ball past Howard.
The equalizer seemingly sparked Maryland’s attack as the two sides headed to the final quarter.
Hollaman’s penalty stroke goal was followed by a brace from midfielder Kylee Niswonger just over two minutes later. It was Niswonger’s fourth goal of the season after the senior captain bagged a hat trick this past Sunday.
Niswonger maintained her spot as the Terps’ leading goal scorer with four on the season.
Rutgers drew a late scare after Cogdell scored in the game’s dying seconds to cut its deficit to one. The Terps dribbled the ball toward the corner as soon as play ensued, letting the final 30 seconds drain from the clock as they held on for the 3-2 comeback victory.
