A rare penalty stroke decided No. 6 Maryland field hockey’s fate against No. 13 Princeton on Friday.
Junior Beth Yeager set herself before taking the close range chance in the 43rd minute. The midfielder wound up and deposited the ball into the left side of the Terps’ cage.
Yeager’s score — her second of the afternoon — gave the Tigers a slim one-goal advantage. That scoreline held for the final 17 minutes, as Princeton defeated Maryland 2-1 at Bedford Field. The loss was the Terps’ first of the season against a team ranked outside of the top five.
“[We’re] stronger in some way for this,” coach Missy Meharg said. “We will work diligently on taking care of the ball, passing the ball more and making sure that we minimize our unforced errors.”
Princeton’s (10-4) Ottilie Sykes scored the last-minute game-winner when the two sides met in mid-September last season. The sophomore had the game’s first opportunity on Friday.
Sykes received a penalty corner entry pass in the sixth minute. A Maryland (10-5) defender quickly rushed forward, forcing Sykes to pull a rushed attempt wide of the cage.
The Terps struggled to build complete attacks in the opening quarter. Princeton’s offense didn’t have many issues — the unit garnered rhythm as the first half went on. That led to a doubled shot advantage at halftime.
But the Tigers squandered a pristine opportunity in the 13th minute.
[Maryland field hockey’s tenacious defense guided it to a win against Michigan]
Freshman Anna Faulstich drove a pass forward to Grace Schulze, who had her back toward the goal when she received the ball. Schulze had an excellent chance against Maryland goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko, but the Princeton senior never turned around to see the opening. She couldn’t connect on a one-two pass with Faulstich as the chance dissolved.
The Tigers’ offensive pressure remained shortly after as a shot from outside the shooting circle took a deflection into the Terps’ goal. A video review determined that no Princeton player touched the ball as it passed through the shooting circle, voiding the potential score.
Princeton found the cage again just minutes later. This time it counted.
The Tigers worked the ball toward the baseline before dribbling into the shooting circle. Several Maryland defenders pressured the ball while Yeager stayed central. Faulstich worked through the Terps’ defensive pressure and fed Yeager, who deflected the ball into the goal for the game’s opening score.
An uninspiring first half continued for Maryland until Hope Rose sparked a chance in the 23rd minute.
The senior midfielder stole possession from Princeton’s Clem Houlden, the last defender back for the Tigers. Rose dribbled up the field, creating a one-on-one with goalkeeper Robyn Thompson. Thompson won the battle with a pair of close range saves.
Rose’s pair of shots from that chance were the lone looks Maryland managed in the first half. Princeton led 1-0 at the break.
[No. 8 Maryland field hockey tops No. 7 Michigan, 2-0, in low-scoring battle]
The Terps evened the score after finally winning their first penalty corner of the contest in the 34th minute.
Graduate student Emma DeBerdine rifled an entry pass to Rose at the top of the shooting circle. The Tigers’ defense failed to close down Rose’s space, giving the senior plenty of time to wind a shot up past Thompson at the far post.
The Terps attacked with heightened urgency but couldn’t find the next score.
Klebasko made a sprawling save to deny the Tigers from scoring a penalty corner in the 43rd minute. Her block deflected directly to Schulze, who’s follow up attempt drew the decisive penalty stroke. Yeager scored to make it 2-1.
Maryland continued pressing forward but struggled to sustain attacks. Many of its chances faltered following turnovers in Princeton’s defensive half.
The Terps’ attacking urgency was evident when Meharg pulled Klebasko with over four minutes. That numerical advantage didn’t avail to anything — the Terps were shutout in the final quarter and suffered another one-score loss.
