By Ryan Homler
It may be April 1, but there was no fooling around for Maryland on Saturday. The Terps were firing on all cylinders from the start and coasted to a 20-7 victory of the Michigan Wolverines to advance to 11-0 on the season.
Maryland’s offensive output does not come as a surprise to many with the team coming into the game averaging 16.1 goals per contest, but its performance today against Michigan could be deemed the most impressive of the season so far. The 20 goals were the second highest total on the season, and balance was what made the offense work so well.
The Terps’ attack featured 10 players who put the ball in the net on Saturday. Of those 10 goal scorers, four of them recorded hat tricks. Freshmen Kali Hartshorn and Brindi Griffin, junior Megan Whittle and sophomore Jen Giles all found the back of the net three times a piece for Maryland.
“This is kind of how this team is,” said Head Coach Cathy Reese. “Each game is going to present and new challenge and different people are going to be able to come through.”
The starters for Maryland once again played great, but extra contributions from the Terps’ bench made the offensive even more dynamic. Besides Griffin’s three goals off the bench, juniors Taylor Hensh and Kacie Longo and freshmen Hannah Warther and Nikki Sliwak all added scores and gave the starters some much needed rest.
“It is very nice to get a rest,” senior Zoe Stukenberg said with a smile. “Every single person on our team is super important to the program and contributes in a lot of different ways.”
On defense, the Terps were once again stingy. Ignoring a few late goals from the Wolverines when the game was nearing the end, Michigan attackers, which controlled the time of possession had no luck against the Maryland defense. Staying with the theme of having everyone contribute, all three Maryland goalies saw playing time in the victory.
Sophomore goalie Megan Taylor was once again dominant as she only allowed two goals and finished with a .750 save percentage. Junior Emma Moss and senior Emily Kift picked up right where Taylor left off, only giving up five combined goals.
With the loss today, Michigan now sits at 4-9 on the season. It was a rough day for sophomore goalie Mira Shane, who allowed 20 goals and only finished with a save percentage of .286. The Wolverine offense was led senior Kim Coughlan who finished with a hat trick for Michigan.
This victory for the Terps was extra special as today was their annual Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Game. The team rocked blue to show their support and auctioned off gear and prizes, sending all proceeds to JDRF. A great cause that ended in a great win for the Terps, this game was close to the heart of Head Coach Cathy Reese.
“What’s really cool about this is the amount of community support,” coach Reese expressed. “Yes it’s really important to me but I think it’s cool for our players to get behind a cause that’s bigger than us…it’s a day I’m really proud to be apart of.”
The team will be back in action this Wednesday, April 5, when they take on Virginia in Charlottesville at 7 p.m.
