The Terps could not pull off another shootout win.
No. 2-seed Maryland field hockey had been here before — on Thursday, in fact. After failing to separate from No. 3-seed Michigan through 80 minutes, a shootout decided who moved on.
But on Friday, it was Maryland who fell just short in penalty strokes. The Terps lost the shootout, 2-0, and the game, 4-3, killing their hopes of winning the Big Ten Tournament at home.
“We had the game in our hands a couple times, so of course it’s very disappointing,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “It’s a dagger right now.”
The Terps looked sharp early on. Passes zipped across the field with far more intent than they began with against Iowa the day before, and the Terps played with far more control than they had finished with against Michigan last time out.
Maryland earned the first chance of the game by fortune — a mistouch from a Michigan defender left the ball bouncing on the edge of the circle. Fleur Knopert tried to evade onrushing goalkeeper Hala Silverstein, but was unable to direct the shot into the net as defenders crashed the ball.
After banging on the door, the Terps finally broke through. Emma DeBerdine started play quickly off a foul outside the circle, firing a pass left for Kylee Niswonger. Niswonger hammered a low drive toward the Michigan goal that Hope Rose got a tip on. Silverstein blocked the redirect, but the ball bounced clear, and Maci Bradford pounced for her first goal in nearly a month.
“She’s a dynamite young player, and today was a big game for her. It was really, really nice to see her come to form,” Meharg said.
Maryland continued to roll in the second quarter, with shots from Rose, Niswonger and Maya Everett requiring saves from Silverstein. The Maryland native, who finished with three saves, was instrumental in keeping this one close early on.
But Michigan’s offense only improved with time. The Wolverines earned two penalty corners halfway through the second quarter, forcing a good save from Alyssa Klebasko on the second.
And with Niswonger sitting out with a green card, the Wolverines earned a third penalty corner with just under three minutes to go in the first half. The Wolverines faked two shots before defender Pilar Oliveros let one rip. The shot passed through a sea of bodies before flying through Klebasko’s legs and into the net.
The response from Maryland was swift. Just 35 seconds after the restart, the Terps won their first penalty corner of the game, and a foot block of Rose’s shot earned a second.
This time, DeBerdine sent the ball in for Morris-Adams to control. Hollamon took the ball off her stick and slid the ball left for Ella Gaitan, who scored her ninth goal of the season to retake the lead.
Right before halftime, the Terps had a scare. Josie Hollamon crumpled to the ground with a head injury, staying down briefly before being helped off the field with a rag pressed to her head.
The Big Ten Defender of the Year retook the field in the second half, but with a thick headband covering her forehead. Her presence was needed, as Michigan had far more success with the ball in the third quarter, testing Klebasko several times.
It was against the run of play that Maryland extended its lead. Winning the ball in midfield, Rose and Annemijn Klijnhout worked a spectacular two-woman game that shredded the right side of the Michigan defense. The move ended with a howitzer from Rose that blew by Silverstein to extend the lead to two with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter.
This time, it was Michigan’s turn to respond quickly. With a minute and change remaining in the third quarter, the Terps conceded a penalty corner and simply could not clear the ball effectively, conceding a second and then a third. On the third, a shot from Erin Reilly was blocked, but Lora Clarke turned home the rebound.
The early stages of the fourth quarter were slow, with both teams preparing for the likely onslaught that would end the game. Halfway through the fourth frame, Carly Hynd made a veteran move, forcing Michigan’s corner threat, Reilly, into committing a yellow card offense.
Frustratingly for the Terps, though, Hynd earned a yellow card of her own just 90 seconds later. This left the game back at even — only for Michigan to pull Silverstein with 4:36 remaining in the game to get an advantage.
The Terps’ defense held strong, even down two players for a chunk of the final four minutes. But with 15 seconds on the clock, Rose committed a foul trying to keep the ball in the corner, gifting the Wolverines a corner.
The Terps did well to keep Clarke from shooting, but with time slipping away, the forward turned the ball to the middle of the circle. Juliette Manzur got her stick on it for the Wolverines and flipped the ball above Klebasko’s head to level the score with four seconds on the clock.
“[I was] pretty numb,” Meharg said. “I mean, when you had the game in your hands … they had more fortitude and more resilience with space than we did.”
For the second game in a row for each team, an extra period was needed.
Michigan dominated the first overtime and part of the second, but Maryland walked away ruing their chances in the second extra frame.
As the 79th minute began, Rose got free along the left byline, and Silverstein closed her down to make the block. The rebound fell to Knopert, Silverstein’s net vacated, but the attacker just could not turn the ball home.
So the Terps went to a shootout again. Lora Clarke opened the scoring for Michigan before Rose got stuffed at the net. Paige Kieft made a dramatic save on a looping shot from Abby Tamer, fisting it over the back of the net. Silverstein saved shots from Klijnhout and Bradford, and Rayne Wright’s attempt to keep Maryland in the game went wide, finishing off a gut-wrenching result.
“That goalie was very, very fast. She came right off the line — we hadn’t faced a goalie like this, and they hadn’t been in a shootout, so we hadn’t studied it,” said Meharg. “[Now], we’ll take these type of losses together, as we have, and we will figure it out … we just need some time.”
Three things to know
1. Difficult birthday for Klebasko. While the goalkeeper made a season-high seven saves, there will not be much to celebrate for her or the Terps after this one, particularly after they gave up their most goals in a game in a season.
2. Maryland’s offense lost its way. The Terps had just two shots throughout the second half and first overtime. While one of the shots resulted in Rose’s goal, the lack of offensive pressure allowed Michigan to dominate later on and find the equalizer.
3. The Terps await national tournament opponents. While its spot is not guaranteed, it is likely Maryland will play in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show will take place Sunday at 10 p.m. on NCAA.com.