By Victoria Ebner
The No. 17 Maryland Terrapins field hockey team was ready for a bounce back, and it got its chance against the Michigan State Spartans.
After losing by one to both Northwestern and Michigan, the Terps were looking to get on the board early.
Snapping quickly into action, Maryland emphasized good offensive positioning to create key passing opportunities up the sidelines. Capitalizing on those opportunities, sophomore defender Madison Maguire contributed Maryland’s first shot on goal. Junior forward Linnea Gonzales also generated a lot of circle-play for the Terps.
The Terps finally got their chance to top the Spartans, as senior midfielder Lein Holsboer connected on a quick shot near the stroke line just 6:15 into the game.
The Terps remained relentless throughout the first half. Despite its lead, Maryland stayed sharp on defensive marking, leaving Michigan State with no room to breathe.
Maryland was later able to sink a second goal by sophomore defender Kelee Lepage, assisted by Holsboer.
The half ended with two corners and 11 shots for Maryland, giving it clear offensive domination against Michigan’s zero corners and two shots.
Eager to continue their reign from the first half, the Terrapins charged towards the circle right off the buzzer. Madison Maguire took advantage of a wide open shot for a quick third goal.
Facing a 3-0 deficit, the Spartans felt the pressure and raced to counter attack, finally sneaking past sophomore defender Bodil Keus and senior defender Carrie Hanks for their only goal.
Unfortunately for Michigan State, the goal was too little, too late against Maryland. Emphasizing their complete control over the Spartans, the Terps finished the game with a Keus goal off a third assist from Holsboer.
The game concluded with a whopping count for Maryland, with 21 shots and four penalty corners. Michigan State had 13 shots and three corners.
With an improved overall record of 7-5, Maryland looks to continue its winning ways at Sunday’s home game against Liberty University.
