Maryland field hockey falls 2-1 to Princeton after Beth Yeager’s two-goal performance

Photo courtesy of Allison Mize/Maryland Terrapins

With roughly five minutes left in the fourth quarter, head coach Missy Meharg pulled goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko for an extra attacker to attempt to tie the game for Maryland.

But with 2:37 left in the final quarter, defender Ericka Morris-Adams was given a yellow card for intentionally throwing her stick to prevent a pass from going out of bounds. The penalty took Morris-Adams off the field and evened the playing field for Princeton, making it easier to keep the ball away from Maryland and drain the clock.

Backed by two goals from Beth Yeager, No. 13 Princeton (10-4, 5-0 Ivy) edged out No. 6 Maryland (10-5, 5-2 Big Ten) 2-1 on Friday in New Jersey, marking the third consecutive year Princeton has beaten Maryland by one goal.

Yeager spent her summer in Paris representing Team USA in the 2024 Olympics, and after returning for her junior season has dominated. Yeager entered Friday’s contest as the top contributor to the Tigers’ offense, accounting for 36% of her team’s goals and over 39% of her team’s assists.

After just missing on a couple of passing plays in the first quarter, Princeton continued to find holes in Maryland’s defense in the second quarter. 

Less than four minutes into the quarter, Anna Faulstich found room to carry the ball up Maryland’s right defensive baseline. As Faulstich approached the net, she made a quick pass to her left to Yeager, who quickly tapped a shot between the legs of Klebasko, marking the first time in three games Princeton scored a goal without the aid of a penalty corner.

After Maryland evened the game on a penalty corner, Yeager continued to produce offensively. The junior provided momentum after drawing a foul in the shooting circle on a solo rush. Yeager blasted a blistering shot on the ensuing penalty corner, forcing Klebasko to make a diving save to her left. Defender Rayne Wright nearly stopped the rebound chance, but the ball tapped her foot while she was on the goal line, resulting in a penalty stroke.

The penalty stroke left Yeager one-on-one with Klebasko, and Yeager quickly ripped a shot past Klebasko, diving to her right.

“[We are] stronger in some way for this,” head coach Missy Meharg said about the loss. “We will work diligently on taking care of the ball, passing the ball more and making sure we minimize our unforced errors.”

Like so many games this season, both teams got off to a slow start in the opening quarter. Maryland and Princeton struggled to get through the midfield as turnovers and fouls prevented either team from sustaining long periods of possession. 

The lone shot of the first quarter came by Princeton on the only penalty corner of the quarter, but the shot sailed wide of the net.

Toward the end of the quarter, the Tigers seemed to find holes in Maryland’s defense but could not convert the chances into shots as Princeton could not complete the final pass of its passing sequences.

While Maryland’s offense struggled in the first half, it found momentum in the third quarter. The third quarter has been its best offensive quarter all season, scoring 13 times. Hope Rose had Maryland’s only two shots in the first half, and she continued to be the best offensive player in the third, ripping a shot into the bottom right corner of the net. The goal is Rose’s team-leading seventh of the season and marks the third consecutive penalty corner in which Maryland has scored.

“I thought we played super well after they scored their first goal,” Meharg said. “[We] controlled play [and were] able to get the equalizer.”

After Yeager put the Tigers up by one late in the third quarter, Maryland could not secure a second goal to tie the game and force overtime. The loss drops Maryland to 5-5 against ranked teams this season.

The Terps will return to College Park to take on Richmond on Sunday afternoon.