.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University
Maryland
No. 3 Maryland Wins Thriller Over 10th-Ranked Field Hockey in Overtime, 3-2
September 26, 2003 | Field Hockey
Sept. 26, 2003
Final Stats
College Park, Md. - It was almost one of the greatest comeback wins in Princeton field hockey history, one that almost was saved by a diving stop by a freshman goalie on an all-but-sure thing penalty stroke in overtime. But in the end, the Maryland field hockey team had one opportunity too many.
Paula Infante finally gave the third-ranked Terps a 3-2 victory over the 10th-ranked Tigers, converting on her team's second penalty stroke of the period 7:24 into the first overtime, but Infante's goal was merely the final play in a wild 10-minute stretch that saw the Tigers (4-2) nearly snatch victory from the jaws of certain defeat against the undefeated Terrapins (10-0)
"It's what's so great about field hockey yet so frustrating," said Tiger head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn. "You can play poorly yet still have a chance to win, and then you can have it end like that." Princeton trailed 2-0 with under four minutes remaining in the game, but that score didn't nearly tell the whole story. The scoreboard had Maryland with 16 shots and the Tigers with two, and the Terps had eight penalty corners in the second half alone. All those numbers, however, became unimportant in an 18-second span.
The first Princeton goal was the result of one of the few offensive flurries the Terp defense allowed the Tigers in the game. Maryland goalie Tori Cano saved the first two Tiger shots of the second half in succession, but Princeton's Maren Ford chipped in the second rebound to pull the Tigers within 2-1 with 3:02 left in regulation and give her team some life.
That life soon turned into jubilation. Princeton intercepted a pass on the ensuing restart, and Ford and teammate Natalie Martirosian found themselves with a two-on-one opportunity. A perfect pass from Ford left Martirosian with a one-on-one opportunity with Cano, and the junior tied the game at 2-2 just 18 seconds after Ford's goal.
A stunned Maryland team, which had given up just four goals in nine previous games this season, had the best opportunity during the remainder of regulation time, but Infante's shot on a penalty corner with no time left was blocked and the game went to overtime.
The Terrapins controlled play early in overtime and had a great chance to win the game when a Princeton defender saved a shot with her hand with 10 minutes on the clock, giving Maryland a penalty stroke. But goalie Juliana Simon made the second diving stop for Princeton on a penalty stroke this season, reaching to her right to stop Anja Boettcher's shot.
"Juliana (10 saves) was big-time today, not just in the overtime," said Holmes-Winn. "People have been asking me about why I haven't just gone with just one of the two goalies, and I think you saw it today. I have confidence in either of them against anybody."
The Tigers then had a terrific chance to win the game when Claire Miller beat a Terp defender with just under nine minutes on the clock, but her shot that beat Cano was just wide of the net. Infante's game-winning situation came just over a minute later.
Colleen Barbieri scored her ninth-goal of the season to give Maryland a 1-0 lead with 14:47 left in the first half, and the Terps appeared to add insurance when Jackie Ciconte scored her team-high 11th goal to make the score 2-0 with 30 minutes left in the game. But even though the Terps outshot the Tigers 26-7 and had 10 penalty corners to just three for Princeton, there was no insurance for Maryland until the end.
"I know that our players have hope seeing how they can compete with a team like this," said Holmes-Winn, "but we need to play well for longer stretches than we did tonight. I know that we can, and so do the players on the team."
Princeton hosts Columbia at Class of 1952 Stadium Sunday afternoon.
MARYLAND 3, PRINCETON 2 (OT)
No. 10 Princeton (4-2) 0 2 0 2 No. 3 Maryland (10-0) 1 1 1 3
Goals: UM-Colleen Barbieri, Jackie Ciconte, Paula Infante; PU-Maren Ford, Natalie Martirosian
Assists: UM-Anja Boettcher, Sara Silvetti; PU-Maren Ford
Shots: PU 7, UM 26 Saves: PU-Juliana Simon 10; UM-Tori Cano 4 Penalty Corners: PU 3, UM 10 Attendance: 252