A late goal for the Buckeyes broke Maryland’s four-game winning streak.
On Friday, No. 8 Maryland field hockey fell to No. 3 Ohio State, 2-1. A last-minute goal from Ohio State’s Makenna Webster marked the Buckeyes first-ever win over the Terps in 21 meetings.
The Terps outshot the Buckeyes, 15-6, and won 10 penalty corners to Ohio State’s five.
“We dominated on the attack for 60 minutes, to be very honest,” said Meharg. “You can dominate a team all day long, but unless you can find the back of the net and keep it out, you’re not going to come out on top.”
The Buckeyes’ defense was a decisive factor in the game, giving the Terps fits as they searched for the back of the net. Entering the contest, Ohio State had forced six shutouts in 11 games played, due in large part to fifth-year goalkeeper Abby Danson.
Danson’s heroics were needed early in this one, as the goalkeeper stopped a pair of shots from Hope Rose just five minutes into the game. Rose scythed her way through the Ohio State defense, leaving four defenders in her wake, and blasted the ball at Danson, who made consecutive saves with her head and foot.
The goalkeeper was called upon again with just three minutes remaining in the first quarter. Maya Everett made a long run the Ohio State defense was unable to track. One-on-one with Everett, Danson made the first stop, but was unable to stop the second ball from squeezing through her legs. Thankfully for the Buckeyes, graduate transfer back Sarah Richards had sagged behind her goalkeeper and cleared the ball off the line.
With just 11 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Ohio State star Makenna Webster sent the ball in to back Katie Fichtner. The shot from Fichtner took a severe deflection, arcing up and over the defenders. As the ball came down looking destined to fall into the back of the Terps’ net, Alyssa Klebasko reached up and back with the blocker hand to barely tap the ball over the net and end the quarter.
Galvanized by their first true chance, Ohio State carried some momentum into the second quarter, forcing another save out of Klebasko.
But as time went on, the Terps reasserted their dominance. Hollamon and Gerke put shots on goal as time slipped away, and Danson ended the opening half with nine saves. Having created so much, the Terps just could not get off to the hot start Meharg had hoped for.
“You just gotta keep knocking at the door, you just gotta play simple, you gotta play combinational,” Meharg said. “Sometimes we perhaps tried to force things a little quicker than they were there.”
It was the Ohio State defense’s turn to step up and deny the Maryland offense in the second half. Every time the Terps aimed to move the ball inside, they were met with a frenetic press. The Buckeyes were buoyed by their depth: 19 outfield players played nine or more minutes, compared to the Terps’ 14.
Those fresh legs and other defensive adjustments kept the Terps quiet in the third quarter. Ohio State did not shoot in the period and Maryland only managed one shot on goal, as both teams slowed the game down and prepared for the decisive fourth quarter.
And in the final 15 minutes, the game sprung to life. The Buckeyes spent more time in the Maryland end than they had the rest of the game, swinging the ball back and forth as time ticked down.
With nine minutes and change remaining in the game, Ohio State stunned the Terps.
Off a penalty corner, Fichtner took another shot, but this one blazed past Klebasko into the lower left corner of the net to give the Buckeyes a shocking advantage.
On the restart, it became obvious the goal had sparked something in Maryland. The team played with more intensity and looked to take more risks, and it didn’t take long to find their reward.
The Terps won a penalty corner just 75 seconds later. For the 10th time in the game, DeBerdine sent the ball inside. This time, Rose received directly, faked the shot and took two touches into the circle. She sized up Hanson and fired a shot. Danson saved it her knee, but was unable to direct the ball and the rebound bounced right to Annemijn Klijnhout. The freshman hammered the ball into the back of the net for her second goal of the season, bringing the Terps back level.
But calamity struck the Terps with under a minute left. The Buckeyes committed a foul in the offensive zone, and Maryland’s defense didn’t waste any time in transition. But the ball was quickly intercepted, allowing Ohio State a late possession.
Then, the Buckeyes won a corner with 37 seconds left. The ball found Cameryn Forgash, who popped it at net. Klebasko got a piece of it, and as the ball dribbled back toward the goalmouth, Rayne Wright got back and poked the ball away. But Wright’s clear fell to Webster, and the Ohio State star did not going to miss from point-blank range.
Klijnhout called for a review, and the referees looked at the goal for an extended period of time. But the goal stood, and Maryland was unable to scrap together an equalizer in the final seconds.
Still, Meharg remained bullish about her team’s mentality.
“If the outcome is going to be more important than the process, we’re going to be in trouble,” said Meharg. “But 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.”
Time will tell whether the Terps rebound well from the loss. With No. 7 Michigan putting six past No. 17 Penn State earlier Friday, Maryland will have to bring its best back to The Plex for its final Big Ten home game.
Three things to know
1. Webster wins out. The biggest battle of the day was between Webster and the Terps’ defense. Keeping Webster from logging a shot in open play earned praise from Meharg postgame — the first-team All-Big Ten forward was not completely denied, though, scoring her 13th goal of the season.
2. Top-five troubles for the Terps. Maryland has lost all four of its games against opponents ranked in the top five nationally this season by one goal. Klijnhout’s goal was the first the Terps have managed to score in any of those games.
3. Maryland was unable to start strong. The Terps have conceded goals in nine of 13 games played this season. Maryland has given up the opening goal in all but one of those nine. With Michigan, a team with 54 goals on the season and coming in on an 11-game winning streak, the Terps will need to buck that trend.