The Terps had 23 shots compared to the Cardinal’s four.
In the first quarter with the game tied, graduate midfielder Danielle Van Rootselaar took advantage of Maryland’s third penalty corner of the game by sending a powerful shot that narrowly missed the outstretched hands of Stanford goalie Daisy Ford. The ball clanked into the left side of the cage for the only goal of the afternoon.
Van Rootselaar’s first-quarter goal proved to be the deciding factor, as the Terps squeaked out a 1-0 victory in a defensive battle against Stanford on Monday afternoon in College Park.
Maryland used the majority of the opening quarter to identify weaknesses in Stanford’s stingy defense. The Terps attempted to pass the ball around the perimeter to force an untimely rotation to break their cold streak on offense.
Eventually they broke through, as Van Rootselaar’s goal gave the Terps an early 1-0 advantage after the first 15 minutes of action.
Stanford’s defense kept it in the game with hustle and outstanding lateral agility by goalie Daisy Ford. The Terps were awarded seven penalty corners in the first half, but Ford did an outstanding job of sliding her feet to kick goals away from her net.
Maryland’s defense continued its recent dominance by stifling Stanford in the first half, allowing no goals and only three shots at the cage.
Both clubs struggled the entire afternoon to generate consistent offense, racing up and down the field yearning for favorable scoring opportunities.
“It’s a little frustrating. It’s just something for us to work on and we have something to work on during practices,” graduate goalkeeper Christina Calandra said. “So we have a couple more [practices] before we head up to Boston [for the Big Ten/ACC Cup]. I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot of goalscoring exercises in the following week.
The second half was more of the same, with neither team finding another goal. The Cardinal’s offense went into gridlock, struggling to create quality opportunities due to the outstanding play of the Terps’ defense.
Maryland was clearly the more dominant team all afternoon, despite only a one-goal victory to show for it. The Terps totaled 23 shots, 13 of which were on goal, compared to Stanford’s four shots, two of which were on goal.
However, Maryland struggled to convert, in large part due to Daisy’s stellar goalkeeping. She finished with 12 saves.
With the narrow win, Maryland improves to 2-0 on the season with its next matchup on Friday against Boston College.
Three things to know
1. Maryland took advantage of its early home slate before hitting the road for the Big Ten/ACC Cup. The Terps are 2-0 and will travel to Massachusetts for the 20th annual Big Ten/ACC Cup. Maryland will square off with host Boston College on Friday at 6 p.m. before concluding the inter-conference tournament with Duke on Sunday. Revenge will be on the Terps’ mind, as they hope to avenge last season’s 3-2 loss to the Eagles.
2. Graduate goalkeeper Christina Calandra has been an integral part of a stingy Maryland defense that has allowed only one goal. Calandra was only forced to make two saves in the cage Monday, but she played all 60 minutes in a gutsy defensive effort that completely bottled up Stanford. Her defense has helped her, but Calandra is the backbone of the unit and has played well through two games.
3. The Terps defense is capable of taking over games when their offense struggles to produce. Maryland is known to have an offense that can compete against elite teams in the country. While the Terps’ offense didn’t enjoy their best day, the defense played well enough to squeak out a victory. The Terps have allowed just one goal in their first two games of the season.