No. 10 Maryland field hockey lined up, hand in hand, as their teammates approached the shooting circle.
The Terps were prepared to face off in a shootout, their game against Indiana remaining tied after
80 minutes. Annemijn Klijnhout, Maci Bradford, Fleur Koppert and Callie Rogers all stared at Indiana goalkeeper Sadie Canelli at the middle of the net, waiting to take their shots.
While Indiana’s players were able to convert two of four chances, not one of the Terps could sneak the ball around Canelli. That late failure cost Maryland, with the Terps falling to the Hoosiers, 2-1.
A chorus of whistles opened Friday’s match as Jordyn Hollamon was already goal-bound.
Hollamon took possession almost instantaneously, breaking through Indiana’s defensive line. She passed to Maci Bradford, who ripped a shot uncontested past Indiana’s goalkeeper just 23 seconds into the game.
Seven minutes after Bradford’s opening goal, the Terps earned their first penalty corner of the game. Bradford took her stance to the right of Indiana’s goalkeeper and passed to her teammates in the attack zone, but nobody found a clear look at the cage.
Indiana matched Maryland’s penalty corner with less than two minutes left in the first frame. Forward Mijntje Hagen took the Hoosiers’ first shot on goal of the game, but Maryland defender Erin Callahan blocked the shot, sending the ball flying out of bounds.
Forward Annemijn Klijnhout drew Maryland’s second penalty corner with 35 seconds in the quarter. This time, midfielder Maia Adamson inserted with captains Ericka Morris-Adams and Josie Hollamon in mind. Bradford couldn’t connect with her teammates on the edge of the circle, costing the Terps another opportunity.
The opening of the second quarter brought a flurry of action. Feliz Kuhne attempted to double Maryland’s lead from inside the shooting circle, but shot wide of the net. On defense, Alyssa Klebasko made her first of saves on the afternoon, blocking Indiana’s Theresa Ricci from scoring.
With just over four minutes until halftime, Bradford lined up again for a penalty corner, this time to Indiana goalkeeper Sadie Canelli’s left. From the opposite side, the Terps had the same results, again unable to extend the lead.
That inability to convert penalty corners continued to impact Maryland’s performance. With more shots and corners than the Hoosiers on the afternoon, the Terps had opportunities to overturn the result early, limiting post-regulation play altogether.
“That is something we’ve been struggling with,” said Maryland head coach Missy Meharg. “It comes down to repetition and laser, laser focus.”
The second half opened in Maryland’s favor, as the Terps earned possession immediately. Ella Fehr took the Terps’ sixth shot of the game, again flying wide of the cage. Play continued down in the Hoosiers 25-yard attack zone, but no one was able to create any major offensive plays.
Annemijn Klijnhout took her season shot, whacking the ball above every player’s head to the top corner of the net. Canelli swatted the ball down with her hand pad, keeping it in play.
Maci Bradford took two shots of her own just two minutes later. Both attempts met Canelli’s pads before they could reach the net.
The final quarter opened with Indiana taking sustained possession for the first time in the contest, putting Maryland’s defense on high alert. Midfielders Djuna Eikelboom and Ella Fehr moved backwards from the middle of the field to the 25-yard line, joining Maryland’s airtight defense to keep the Hoosiers from the shooting circle.
It didn’t matter. With just shy of nine minutes left, Indiana’s Georgia Rottinghaus took possession and broke away.
She flew down the field and met teammate Molly Stutte, who faced Klebasko at the net. Stutte shot to the top of the cage, and in an effort to maintain the Terps’ lead, Klebasko jumped. The ball barely grazed her pads, flying over her hand to the top wall of the net.
Maryland’s one-goal lead vanished. The game was tied.
With two minutes remaining, Maryland’s defenders pulled on their gear to defend Klebasko and the goal in Indiana’s second penalty corner opportunity.
Hagen inserted across the circle to Hannah Riddle. The defender shot, but Klebasko kicked the ball away. Midfielder Inés Garcia Prado sent the rebound back in, and Klebasko dove to defend the goal, denying the Hoosiers the lead and giving the Terps a second chance at victory in Friday’s game.
“She’s just fantastic,” Meharg said. “Alyssa’s always going to be in the game and make great saves.”
Overtime began with Indiana possession but no shots. Fehr took a wide open shot towards the goal, but to no avail. With less than a minute left, Rottinghaus broke through the midfield, facing Klebasko with no one around her.
Like a bolt of lightning, Fleur Knopert flashed into the picture to fish the ball from Rottinghaus, sending a Maryland game into a second overtime period for the first time this season.
The clock continued to tick down through the second overtime period. Both teams stripped possession from their opponent, only to lose it to defenders on the other side of the field.
Even after drawing two penalty corners, Maryland just couldn’t find the back of the net again, sending Friday’s game into a shootout.
There, Meharg took a calculated approach in sending Ryleigh Osborne, Maryland’s second-string goalkeeper, into the net.
“Ryleigh’s been taking shoot outs,” Meharg said. “She made two great saves [and] put us in position to be able to win the game.”
Though Osborne did manage to stop two attempts from reaching the back of the net, two more flew by her. Maryland’s lack of success on its own shots ultimately sealed its demise.
Three things to know
1. Overtime fiascos. The Terps haven’t won either of their two games that have gone to overtime this season.
2. Fewer penalty corners. On average, Maryland takes seven penalty corners per game. On Friday, they only took three during regulation play.
3. Speed demon. Jordyn Hollamon’s goal on Friday was the fastest goal scored by Maryland so far this year. She overtook Ella Gaitan, who scored in 45 seconds earlier this season.
