No. 1 Northwestern earned their third penalty corner against No. 10 Maryland field hockey with just under three minutes to play in the third quarter.
Midfielder Ilse Tromp took the penalty corner’s first
shot, but it met Maryland goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko in the cage. The ball then bounced to defender Maja Zivojnovic, who Terps’ midfielder Ella Fehr was quick to cover. Even with Fehr — and the goal — at her back, Zivojnovic sent a hard shot past Klebasko’s left shoulder to take the lead.
The Terps were unable to answer the Wildcats’ goal in the fourth quarter, costing them their second conference game, 2-1.
“Do not measure this game by the outcome,” Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said to her team after the game. “Measure it by the level of competition against the very best team.”
Maryland opened Sunday’s game with possession, earning a penalty corner just 14 seconds into the game. Maci Bradford took to the baseline for the insert, sending the ball to Feliz Kuhne, but the first shot of the game was blocked by the Wildcats’ defense.
Bradford made another massive offensive play, wrangling the ball from Northwestern’s possession and breaking through the midfield. However, Northwestern’s defensive line came for the midfielder at full force.
Northwestern returned the favor with a penalty corner just 3 minutes later, possibly an early test for goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko. However, Maryland’s defense infiltrated before the Wildcats could create any shot attempts, deflecting the pass from Ashley Sessa out of the shooting circle.
The Terps moved the ball downfield, eventually earning another penalty corner.
Maia Adamson inserted across the circle to Annemijn Klijnhout, who set the ball up for Josie Hollamon’s shot on goal. Her ball skipped the Northwestern stick in front of her, but didn’t leave the shooting circle. Fleur Knopert took a stab at the net as well, but couldn’t connect either.
The ball flew up in the air before landing in front of freshman midfielder Djuna Eikelboom.
Eikelboom directed the bounce with the tip of her stick. As the ball rebounded up from the ground, the midfielder swung, fitting her shot through a thin window between goalkeeper Juliana Boon and other defenders for her first career goal.
Eikelboom went for her second goal of the game with under two minutes left in the first quarter. Boon redeemed herself with a critical save, kicking the ball clear of the net.
The second quarter opened with Northwestern pushing the ball towards Alyssa Klebasko in its 25-yard attack zone. The junior goalkeeper moved out of the cage to clear Olivia Bent-Cole’s shot attempt, sending it wide of the net.
Maryland’s second penalty corner came with just over 10 minutes until halftime. Juliana Boon made her second save of the game, facing a shot by Fehr that was cast aside.
On defense, the Terps continued to push the Wildcats far away from Klebasko. Maryland held the nation’s top-ranked team to one shot and no shots-on-goal in 30 minutes.
The Wildcats opened the second half with possession, but the Terps’ defense was quick to intercept. Ericka Morris-Adams manned the right sideline, fishing the ball away and redirecting it to a teammate.
Northwestern forward Olivia Bent-Cole broke through Maryland’s midfield facing the Terps’ defense. In an attempt to protect the cage, Klebasko rushed out and collided with a Wildcat, giving the visitors a penalty shot.
Maddie Zimmer lined up for her free attempt, standing one-on-one against Klebasko. Her shot went flying over Klebasko’s head to the back of the net, tying the game just three minutes into the second half.
Northwestern’s fourth penalty corner came after a trip and fall from a Wildcat offender, but to no avail. Maryland’s defense interfered on the shot attempt, sending Sessa’s attempt wide of the goal.
A series of interceptions and turnovers allowed the ball to travel to almost every corner of the field. On a major breakaway ignited by a pass from Maryland’s defense, Jordyn Hollamon sprinted down the field, eventually meeting Boon in the shooting circle.
Boon dove towards Holloman as she fired off her shot attempt. The goalkeeper knocked the ball clear of the net, saving the Wildcats from falling to a deficit once again.
The game returned to back-and-forth possession at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Terps focused on offensive pressure, attempting to level the match, while the Wildcats pressed Maryland’s defenders, keeping the ball away from their own attack zone. A quick Northwestern shot came in, but Klebasko redeemed herself, clearing from the cage.
With ten minutes left in the game, Callie Rogers found herself with possession in front of the net. She hastily passed to Leah Horowitz, but Boon slid past the attacker, eventually kicking the shot away.
In the final five minutes, Klebasko came running out of the net, leaving the Terps’ net empty in exchange for extra cleats on the turf.
The Wildcats continued to run rampant as they had all half, pressing down towards Maryland’s defensive line. Captains Ericka Morris-Adams and Josie Hollamon held down the defense, wiggling the ball out of possession and knocking it down field.
Immediately, Eikelboom looked for a clear shot towards the net. With none of her teammates in sight, the midfielder decided to try to maintain possession, but the Wildcats closed down any open avenues.
In the last minute of the match, the Terps tried desperately to move the ball out of their own zone and into their attack zone. However, they couldn’t manage to advance before the buzzer rang.
With conference and national tournaments on the horizon, Meharg remains excited by the Terps’ future.
“The lesson is ‘you’re good,’” Meharg said. “Do I believe we can do it? Yes, because I’ll always believe we can.”
Three things to know
1. Three-quarter dry spells. Maryland hasn’t scored in any quarter but the first in the past two games.
2. Eikel-BOOM. The freshman midfielder’s goal on Sunday marked the first of her promising collegiate career.
3. Evenly matched offense. Both Maryland and Northwestern took 10 shots, five of which were shots on goal. The Wildcats only drew two more penalty corners than the Terps.
