Maryland thought they had iced the game when midfielder Bibi Donraadt scored on a penalty corner with five minutes left. Donraadt got the rebound shot, knocking it down before shooting into the net, giving Maryland a two-goal cushion.
Rutgers had other plans, scoring two goals in under two minutes after pulling their goalie, tying the game at three, and stunning the Terps.
However, the Terps did not need overtime to come out on top.
Donraadt sent a shot that got tangled under Scarlet Knights goalie Sophia Howard’s legs and rolled past her. Midfielder Leah Crouse tapped the ball in for good measure with 39 seconds left to give Maryland the lead back.
No. 20 Rutgers (7-7, B1G 3-4) did not have any magic left as No. 2 Maryland field hockey (14-1, B1G 7-0) claimed a 4-3 victory against the Scarlet Knights in a wild game to clinch their first Big Ten title since 2019 and sixth in program history.
“This team is amazing; they find a way to win,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “Just the resilience and collectiveness to believe that even having two goals scored against you in such a short amount of time to go down and find a way to get a final goal is just a testament to their character.”
Maryland started off slow, allowing Rutgers to dominate ball control for the first five minutes and earn the game’s first penalty corner.
The Scarlet Knights capitalized with midfielder/forward Marique Dieudonne scoring with a shot that sailed into the bottom left corner of the net, giving Rutgers a 1-0 lead.
Maryland found itself trailing at home for just the second time this season. Maryland had opportunities to find the equalizer but kept shooting shots directly at Howard.
The Terps entered halftime down 1-0 and trailed for 35 minutes before tying the game.
Rutgers picked up a five-minute yellow card midway through the third quarter, and Maryland capitalized seconds later.
Defender Riley Donnelly entered the circle along the baseline and passed to senior forward Margot Lawn. Lawn fired a shot to the opposite corner of the goal, tying the game and igniting a loud roar from the crowd and the Terps’ bench.
Midfielder and team captain Emma DeBerdine hyped up the bench going down the line, giving high fives as she missed her second straight game.
Maryland built on the momentum f, taking the lead early in the fourth quarter off a penalty corner. Crouse took a few steps to her right before firing a shot that smacked against the backboard, giving the Terps their first lead.
Less than a minute later, Rutgers earned a penalty corner and almost tied the game up. But midfielder Nathalie Fiechter put her stick up into the air and deflected it out of play, saving the game-tying goal.
Crouse’s second goal of the game clinched Maryland the Big Ten title. The team celebrated with shirts, hats, and a trophy before a postgame senior day ceremony.
Seniors accounted for all the points in the victory, with fifth-year Maryland players, Donraadt and Donnelly adding points to their stat lines on their senior day.
“They made a decision to stay here,” Meharg said. “You want to stay here so you can put your team in a position to win championships, and this is the first step.”
