No. 8 Maryland field hockey dominated nearly every statistical category against No. 3 Ohio State on Friday night. But the Buckeyes led the one that mattered most.
With just over 30 seconds remaining, Ohio State’s Cameryn Forgash got a touch off a penalty corner. Terps goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko got a slight touch before defender Rayne Wright attempted a clearance. It went right to Buckeyes forward Makenna Webster.
Webster touched the ball in from close range. Her last-gasp score gave Ohio State a 2-1 lead to seal a frustrating home loss for Maryland on Friday. The loss was the Terps’ fourth of the season against a top-five opponent, and the Buckeyes’ first ever win over coach Missy Meharg’s squad.
“They got opportunistic and we didn’t when it comes to finishing,” Meharg said. “We’ll keep working hard at those combinations and getting the goals.”
Slow starts have been common for Maryland (9-4, 4-2 Big Ten) in recent games, but the Terps hounded Ohio State’s (12-1, 3-1 Big Ten) defense in the opening quarter.
Maryland pushed several promising attacks down the right sideline throughout the first few minutes on Friday. Hope Rose was the first Terp to break through, leading to a pair of penalty corners in the fifth minute.
A contingent of Ohio State defenders clamped the first opportunity. Maryland’s entry pass went awry on the ensuing penalty corner.
Rose continued an aggressive first quarter just a few minutes later, this time driving forward down the left flank.
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The senior picked up possession near the 23-meter line and split two Buckeye defenders. Her blistering run opened a clear shooting window at the back post, but that space closed quickly. Ohio State goalkeeper Abby Danson scrambled to her left, extending her left arm to block Rose’s shot.
Danson’s save was one of four first-quarter stops. She also received some help from teammate Sarah Richards, who cleared a Maryland shot off the goal line in the 12th minute.
Maryland’s first-quarter ambush included eight shots and six penalty corners. But the Terps couldn’t find an early breakthrough.
“We’ll have to figure out how to make more of our shooting opportunities,” Meharg said. “When I see players going one-on-one to get into the circle, you want to combine more.”
The Terps nearly held Ohio State shotless in the opening quarter, but the Buckeyes got their first look via a penalty corner with just seconds remaining. Klebasko made the save to keep the game scoreless.
Webster — Ohio State’s most productive forward this season — had little impact in the first quarter; several Terp defenders efficiently cut passing lanes to keep Webster out of possessions.
The graduate student eventually broke through, winning a penalty corner early in the 20th minute.
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Webster took the entry pass before the ball was quickly played back to her along the sideline. She quickly flashed a tight-angle shot at Maryland’s cage, but Klebasko made a sprawling save to deny the attempt.
Neither team scored before halftime as both goalkeepers and defenses held strong to keep the game scoreless. The Buckeyes eventually struck first in the second half.
Ohio State won a penalty corner in the 51st minute. Claudia Thomas set the entry pass before defender Katie Fichtner waxed the set ball toward the far post. Her shot split a cohort of Terps defenders on its way into the cage.
The game was set to follow a similar pattern to Maryland’s three previous top-five matchups this season — all 1-0 defeats. But the Terps responded immediately on a penalty corner just over a minute later.
Rose took an initial shot, forcing a save from Danson. The block deflected right to Annemijn Klijnhout. The freshman flipped the ball past Danson for the equalizing score.
The tense contest was set for overtime until Webster scored the game-winner with just under 30 seconds left. Maryland couldn’t get past the low-lying Buckeyes defense during those late seconds, dropping the contest in heartbreaking fashion.
“If the outcome is going to be more important than the process, then we’re going to be in trouble,” Meharg said. “Our job as the coaching staff right now is to figure out how to keep them really positive and make sure that we come out here prepared and ready to rip on Sunday with Michigan.”
