By: Andrew Diveley
Virginia’s Suze Leemans delivered the decisive blow in a back-and-forth matchup between the No. 3 Cavaliers and No. 5 Terps. Leemans scored the game’s only goal in the 48th minute to hand the Terps their second consecutive loss.
Both teams fought for possession early, with neither squad taking control during a hard-fought first period. Maryland had back-to-back penalty corner opportunities in the tenth minute but failed to capitalize. The first 15 minutes ended without a single shot from either side.
Virginia built up its offensive intensity in the second quarter, forcing two quick penalty corners. Maryland goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko came up big, denying Jans Croon’s initial shot before stopping Daniela Mendez-Trendler’s attempt moments later. A green card on Mendez-Trendler in the 20th minute shifted momentum to Maryland, allowing the Terps to impose high pressure until halftime.
Maryland emerged into the second half aggressively firing multiple shots early in the third quarter. Despite three penalty corner opportunities, the Terps failed to find the back of the cage. Maryland had chances, but shots by Hope Rose and Josie Hollamon missed wide. Virginia’s defense remained strong, keeping Maryland scoreless.
“I mean, they do play a good job, and they quite have a sworn defense. I thought they did very well with that, but, but again, we’re looking at a statute where Maryland is out shooting and out cornering, and I think we lacked detail in our attack penalty corners,” said Maryland head coach Missy Meharg.
The Cavaliers finally broke the deadlock in the 48th minute when Leemans scored her fourth goal of the season on a backhand shot off a deflection, slotting it into the right side of the cage.
Despite Maryland utilizing hard pressure in the final quarter and earning two more penalty corners, Virginia’s defense held firm.
With just 8.9 seconds left, Maryland had one final chance to equalize with another penalty corner. However, Rose’s shot went wide, sealing the Terps’ 1-0 defeat.
Despite having eight penalty corners throughout the match, Maryland struggled to convert, failing to place a single shot on target. The Terps’ inability to create a strong shot on set-piece opportunities proved costly against Virginia’s competitive defense. Maryland’s missed chances were key in their defeat, as Virginia held firm under pressure and kept the Terps off the scoreboard.
“So it’s now cleaning up the critical area, and that’s the red zone, and we’ll continue with it. You know, you’ve got fast breaks and opportunity, which we had,” said Meharg.
This game marks back-to-back 1-0 losses for the Terps, who will try and rebound against Lock Haven on Sunday in College Park.
