Maryland field hockey suffers second straight shutout loss against Virginia

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins

The last time Virginia came to College Park, the Cavaliers ended Maryland’s season, defeating the Terps 4-0 in the Elite Eight.

But the Terps found themselves down by one in the final minutes for the second consecutive game, forcing them to sub their goalkeeper for an extra attacker. With under ten seconds left, Maryland was able to draw its eighth penalty corner of the game.

Hope Rose took the entry feed from Emma DeBerdine and rifled a shot that got redirected on its way to the net. The shot made it past goalkeeper Tyler Kennedy but was blocked by Noa Boterman, keeping Maryland off the board and allowing Virginia to close out the game.

No.5 Maryland (3-2) gets shutout for the second consecutive game, falling to No.3 Virginia (4-0)  1-0 on Friday night at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.

“Their post player had more saves than their goalie,” coach Missy Meharg said. “I think they were two really good shots that she was able just to be like a magnet. So … [if] those types of things fall your way, you win the game.”

The Cavaliers dominated the penalty corners in the prior matchup, recording nine. This time, Maryland dominated the penalty corners, finishing with eight compared to Virginia’s three.

But Maryland was unable to produce any offense from the numerous penalty corner chances, finishing the game with a season-low four shots. 

“I think we lacked detail in our attack penalty corners,” Meharg said. “[When] you have eight of those corners, you want to make sure everyone is complete precision.”

After three scoreless quarters, Suze Leemans ensured Maryland wouldn’t avenge its NCAA tournament loss. Leemans buried a long rebound from Alyssa Klebasko into the bottom left corner for the game’s only goal.

Leemans Leemans is a graduate student who transferred to Virginia from Utrecht University, located in the Netherlands. In her first collegiate season, she’s been one of Virginia’s top players, leading the team in scoring entering Friday’s matchup, and her fourth of the season proved to be all Virginia needed to spoil a Maryland revenge game.

The rematch between Maryland and Virginia showcased both teams’ speed early and often throughout the game as the Terps and the Cavaliers tried to push the pace through the midfield. But both were consistently met with stiff defense, spending most of the offensive zone time on the perimeter until Hope Rose saw back-to-back penalty corners. The two penalty corners were the best chances for either team, but neither of Rose’s shots made it on net.

Virginia was then granted the same opportunity, drawing two penalty corners of its own. Unlike the Terps, the Cavaliers put both shots on, forcing goalkeeper Klebasko to make two huge saves. Her best came on Virginia’s second penalty corner as Daniela Mendez-Trendler ripped a screaming shot to the upper left-hand side, but Klebasko stayed square to the shot, knocking it down with her left shoulder.

Klebasko was a staple in Maryland’s lineup last season, finishing her freshman year with a 1.02 goals-against-average, a 0.838 save percentage, and earning a Second-Team All-Big Ten nomination. Klebasko carried her strong freshman season into her sophomore campaign, entering Friday’s game with two shoutouts and ranking fourth in the NCAA in goals against average.

“She’s going to keep us in the game, and she’ll do consistent things, consistently well,” Meharg said on Klebasko’s performance.

Coming out of halftime, the Terps had just one shot on net, but it was not due to a lack of trying, as they had three penalty corners. They continued to draw penalty corners in the third quarter, with two more in the first seven minutes, by attacking Virginia’s defense from the right side.

While Maryland did not record a shot on goal on either chance, the Terps produced their two best chances, as redirections and blocks sent both shots just wide of the cage.

But a late goal in the fourth quarter proved to be too much as the Terps were unable to tie the game with an extra attacker in the final minutes for the second consecutive game.

Maryland will look to avenge its loss on Sunday in College Park against Lock Haven at 2 p.m.