On the Terps second penalty corner of the game, forward Bibi Donraadt inserted the ball to midfielder Nathalie Fletcher.
She then set the ball for defender Maura Verleg who struck the ball into the back on the net giving Maryland a 1-0 lead. Verleg’s goal served to be the game winner and the only goal in the game as the Terps (6-3, B1G) defeated the Hawkeyes (9-2, B1G) 1-0 ending Hawkeyes five-game winning streak.
The Terps continued their dominance over the Hawkeyes despite a lot of close games, beating them for the 13th consecutive time. Although the win is exciting, the Terps are treating it like any other game.
“I’m so happy for the women,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “They have worked really hard and they don’t let the highs get too high or the lows get too low. A number is just a number…and the fact that they are number two is just a bonus.”
The Terps and Hawkeyes played a lackluster first quarter with zero shots by either team. The teams both got things going in the second quarter, where the Hawkeyes outshot the Terps 6-2. However, goalie Noelle Frost kept the Terps in the game with two excellent saves, one with her foot and another with her stick keeping the Hawkeyes scoreless.Overall, Frost had five saves in the game, consistently showing off her aggressiveness coming out of the goal several times preventing the Hawkeyes from getting a shot off.
“I would say it is definitely because of the training of like Marvin Bam,” Frost said. “He has been working [so hard] with us, forcing us to come out and break down the angle, if they have like a rebound or a shot within I would say six feet of us, he always wants us to come out.”
The game remained scoreless at halftime, but with about five minutes left in the third quarter the Terps scored the game’s only goal, a lead which they did not squander.
Iowa took out their goalie Grace McGurie with less than two minutes left to add another attacker. The Hawkeyes managed to get the ball into the shooting circle with less than a minute left, but defender Riley Donnelly came up with a clutch steal cementing the Terps’ victory.
Maryland’s defense was sharp, holding the Hawkeyes to only one penalty corner despite being outshot 10-5.
“I think Maryland looked fresher and faster,” Meharg said. “One of things we have been working on this week is turn and run. We felt that Iowa was slow collectively in counter defense, so when we came up with the ball taking restarts really fast was key. I thought we did that well.”
The Terps play the Hawkeyes again on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
