Princeton University Athletics
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Field Hockey Team Knocks Off Top-Ranked Maryland 4-2
September 29, 2010 | Field Hockey
LINKS: Box Score | Updated Stats
PRINCETON (9/28/10) - The fourth-ranked Princeton field hockey team built an early 2-0 lead and then kept ahead during a wild final 10 minutes to knock off top-ranked Maryland 4-2 on Tuesday night at Class of '52 Stadium.
Katie Reinprecht scored Princeton's first two goals to give her team a 2-0 lead at the half. She opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a goal on a penalty corner that brushed off the pad of Maryland goalkeeper Melissa Vassalotti and into the far side of the goal.
Reinprecht made the score 2-0 three minutes later to finish off a rush down field. She and Kathleen Sharkey raced into the Maryland end of the field with Sharkey feeding Reinprecht on the far side. Reinprecht then scored from a low-angle on the backhand for her sixth goal of the season.
Princeton outshot Maryland 4-1 in the first half and was strong in the defensive end to not allow Maryland too many opportunities. Amanda Bird broke up a pass in the circle that would have reached a wide-open Terrapin on the far post and Tiger goalkeeper Christina Maida came out of the goal to smother two Maryland chances.
The pace slowed down as the second half began but picked up as the game closed in on the final 15 minutes. Maryland's Jemma Buckley had two good chances with 13 minutes left in the game with her first shot stopped by Maida and the second by Julia Reinprecht.
Maryland called a timeout after the chance and took advantage in the 61st minute when Katie O'Donnell scored on a high shot from just inside the circle. The goal came less than a minute after Jill Witmer's shot hit the post.
Princeton called a timeout immediately following the goal looking to kill any Maryland momentum and succeeded as Princeton scored exactly 20 seconds after Maryland to regain the two-goal margin.
Katie Reinprecht and Sharkey again raced down field with Reinprecht feeding Sharkey at the top of the circle. Sharkey chased down the ball and shot against the grain, putting the ball just inside the far post as Vassalotti slid the other way for her nation-leading 17th goal of the season.
Maryland moved back within a goal in the 64th minute when Buckley converted on a penalty corner following a push from Katie O'Donnell and a stop by Lauren Barr.
Looking to even the score, Maryland pulled Vassalotti for an extra player with 5:10 left in regulation. The move backfired though as Princeton carried the ball into the Maryland zone. Sharkey fired a shot that Ali McEvoy stopped. The ball bounced off the post to Molly Goodman who buried it for her fifth goal of the season.
Maryland kept its net empty looking to climb back into the game and Katie Reinprecht came up with a defensive save late to keep Maryland at two goals.
Maida made one save for the win while the Tigers added a pair of defensive saves. Vassalotti also made a save in the Terrapin net. Princeton outshot Maryland 11-10, while the Terrapins had one more corner than Princeton, 6-5.
The win moved Princeton to 7-0 on the season, while Maryland was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten and now stands 8-1 overall. Princeton's win is believed to be its second first-ever against a top-ranked team, the first coming over Old Dominion in the 2001 NCAA tournament. Maryland moved into the top spot in the polls earlier on Tuesday for the first time this season.
Princeton will resume its Ivy League slate on Friday night at Columbia and host 14th-ranked American on Sunday.