No. 9 Maryland Tops No. 17 Princeton in OT 4-3

Tuesday, September 21

College Park, Md.

4:00 PM

Princeton University

(2-4)

#4 Maryland

(5-2)

Princeton

Maryland

Princeton's Zoe Shephard controls the ball against Maryland's Juliana Tornetta, a Princeton alum and 2020 von Kienbsuch finalist.

Photo by: Greg Fiume

September 21, 2021 | Field Hockey

Box Score

Before the 17th-ranked Princeton field hockey bus ever left Jadwin Gym Tuesday morning, Tiger head coach Carla Tagliente had this to say about her team's game later in the afternoon at No. 9 Maryland: "It'll be close. It always is."

About 20 minutes before the game started, Maryland head coach Missy Meharg – who coached Tagliente and Princeton top assistant Dina Rizzo to an NCAA championship in 1999 as players – had this to say about the matchup: "It'll be close. It always is."

They were both right. Meharg was the one who left happier.

Princeton and Maryland did what they usually do, which is play a nailbiter, this time extending to overtime for the fourth straight meeting in the series. It was Maryland who came away with the slimmest of victory margins, taking a decision 4-3.

It was the sixth straight one-goal game in the series.

The loss dropped Princeton to 2-4, and all four losses have come against Top 20 teams and three of which have come against top nine teams. Princeton opens its Ivy League season at Penn Friday at 3.

There were a lot of positives for the Tigers, who twice rallied from behind to tie it and then took a lead into the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. Maryland, though, was able to tie it, and then Maura Verleg won it on a rebound with 2:11 left in the first overtime.

Princeton's first goal came from Claire Donovan, who scored on a rebound of her own less than a minute after Maryland had taken a 1-0 lead late in the first. After the Terps. went up 2-1 16 seconds into the second quarter, Princeton evened it again five minutes later. This goal came when Hannah Davey started the play and got it to Beth Yeager, who then set up Grace Schulze perfectly for the score.

It was 2-2 at the break and then 3-2 Princeton with five minutes to go in the third quarter. Again the assist went to Yeager, who faked a shot off a corner and put it on the stick of Bridget Murphy, who redirected it into the cage. It was the first career goal for Murphy, who was injured just six seconds into the season opener against North Carolina. Brooke DeBerdine tied it with 4:51 left in the fourth, and Maryland had a disallowed goal in the OT before the winner.

Maryland outshot Princeton 12-6, including 7-1 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Robyn Thompson made five saves for Princeton.