No. 3 Maryland field hockey (7-1, B1G 1-0) faced their toughest test yet against a strong No. 7 Princeton (4-3) team that found a response for every Terps goal in regulation.
For the fifth straight time, overtime would decide the outcome of a Maryland and Princeton field hockey game, with Maryland coming out victorious in the previous four.
This time was different.
The Tigers earned a penalty corner seconds into double overtime. Midfielder Beth Yeager scored her second goal, securing the 4-3 upset in double overtime, sending the Terps to their first loss.
“Yeager is the number one drag-flicker in this country,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “She’s very deceptive. Sometimes it looks like they’re just going in; it’s really deceptive to actually watch.”
Maryland had numerous chances to win the game but ultimately came up short in their first overtime game of the season against their highest-ranked opponent to date.
Maryland hoped they had found the game-winning goal midway through the fourth quarter when forward Hope Rose’s shot ricocheted off the opposite goal post and into the net.
However, the Terps could not hold onto their lead.
Princeton earned a penalty corner in the waning minutes of regulation. Yeager found the back of the net, sending the game to overtime.
Yeager’s first goal was the first of three Princeton goals scored off penalty corners.
“We knew going into the game that Princeton had a very strong attacking penalty corner group, and we tried our best to work around that, but at the end of the day, they ended up getting their shots off,” midfielder Emma DeBerdine said.
In the first overtime, both teams had opportunities to pull out the win, but each goalie recorded two saves keeping the game tied at 3-3.
Sophomore goalie Paige Kieft started her third straight game in goal, and her two overtime saves were part of a five-save performance, a new career high.
Maryland started the game off hot, holding a 6-1 shot advantage at halftime but only a 1-0 lead.
“I think Maryland could have opened the doors up in the game in the first quarter,” Meharg said. “I thought we were so dominant. That’s where you have to jump on the play and get a couple of goals up, and really keep the pedal down.”
Princeton came out of halftime with new energy sparking rallies.
Princeton tied the game up early in the third quarter with Tigers’ midfielder Hannah Davey scoring on a penalty corner.
The tie only lasted a few minutes. Midfielder Bibi Donraadt passed the ball across the turf into the circle with forward Margot Lawn just ahead of two Princeton defenders.
Lawn tapped the ball in, catching the Tigers by surprise.
Princeton would not back down, tying the game again late in the third. Kieft blocked a shot, punching it back out right to Tigers forward Ali McCarthy, who tapped it in.
The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 2-2, setting up for a wild finish, ultimately ending Maryland’s bid for an undefeated season in a double-overtime loss.
