The Terps dropped their first road game of the season.
With a minute remaining in the game and down a goal, No. 6 Maryland field hockey was desperate to make something against No. 13 Princeton.
Down a woman and the goalkeeper pulled, the Terps turned to seasoned veteran Rayne Wright to help them escape the deficit. But as she turned and looked upfield, Wright fluffed her hit and turned the ball over — a perfect encapsulation of a frustrating day on offense for Maryland.
The Terps traveled to Princeton Friday and dropped a close game, 2-1. The Terps are now 5-5 on the year against ranked opponents, with all losses coming by a single goal.
Both sides came out ready to slow the game down and play more conservatively, a script Maryland (10-5, 5-2 Big Ten) is well used to. This was the Terps’ fifth game this season without registering a shot on goal in the first quarter. The Tigers’ attack did not fare any better, however, as a penalty corner effort from Ottilie Sykes was the game’s lone shot in the opening 15 minutes.
Princeton (10-4, 5-0 Ivy League) kicked the second quarter off and immediately displayed its intent to change proceedings. Three minutes into the quarter, a blast from deep in the Princeton midfield came off Ericka Morris-Adams’ stick and made its way past Alyssa Klebasko. While it did not count, seeing the ball hit the back of the net galvanized the Tigers, who made Maryland pay just 30 seconds later.
Anna Faulstich picked up the ball for the Tigers and went on a tear down the right sideline, a move the Tigers replicated several times throughout the game. On this occasion, after driving at Klebasko, Faulstich dumped the ball back into the center, where 2024 Olympian Beth Yeager was on hand to direct the ball in for her 10th goal of the year.
Princeton maintained control following the score, as Maryland spent much of the quarter trying to simply get the ball into the Tigers’ circle.
With seven minutes remaining in the half, the Terps were gifted a golden opportunity. Hope Rose led the pressure on the Princeton defense and poked the ball free. She then found herself one-on-one with goalkeeper Robyn Thompson, but Thompson rushed out of net and dropped low to deny Maryland a way back into the game.
It took the Terps until 10:08 in the third quarter to get another chance, when, after review, Maryland was given a penalty corner. Emma DeBerdine sent the ball in, Fleur Knopert brought it down and Rose was given plenty of time to wind up and hammer the ball into the back of the net, tying the game at one apiece.
Maryland forced another penalty corner and subsequent save from Thompson minutes later.
For all the questions posed of Princeton’s defense, Maryland could not create shots from open play. The Terps looked like the better team throughout the third quarter, but their inability to take the lead came back to bite them.
With 2:30 remaining in the third quarter, Yeager won a penalty corner and took the shot, forcing a great save out of Klebasko. But the ball bounced free to taker Grace Schulze in front of an open net. Schulze forced an illegal save from Rayne Wright off the line to give her team a penalty corner, which Yeager duly dispatched.
The Terps began playing with more intensity entering the fourth quarter, but that intensity quickly turned into desperation. As it had all game, it was difficult for Maryland to make inroads on Princeton’s half. The Terps could not get off a single shot in the fourth quarter to try and take back the lead. In the end, Maryland finished with four shots on the day — its lowest tally since Sept. 13.
The Terps now return home to face Richmond, with Sunday’s Senior Day contest being the final regular season game at The Plex.
Three things to know
1. Princeton prolongs winning streak. The Tigers won their third straight game against Maryland, their longest winning streak against the Terps all-time. The last nine games have been decided by a goal, with five of nine having gone to overtime.
2. Rose on a run. Rose has scored three goals in her last four games to extend her team-leading tally to eight goals. The former Big Ten Freshman of the Year has began playing in a more advanced position recently, frequently returning to the role she has played for the majority of her career and swapping spots with Ella Gaitan.
3. Race for second in Big Ten tightens up. Ohio State beat Indiana in a penalty shootout Friday, moving to 4-2 in conference play. But Michigan lost to Northwestern in overtime Friday. Now, the Wolverines are also 4-2 in conference play, meaning Maryland moves to second in the conference for the time being.