No. 2 Maryland field hockey advances to Final Four with shootout win over Syracuse

Entering the fourth quarter, the Terps had no momentum at all, trailing 1-0. Despite generating offensive opportunities — having outshot the Orange 14-4 — goalkeeper Brooke Borzymowski had an answer every time. 

Yet, Maryland’s offense began to click, as midfielder Emma DeBerdine tied the game minutes into the fourth and then midfielder Sophie Klautz gave the Terps the lead with under six minutes left.

The Orange scored a goal of their own moments later to force the game into overtime with the season on the line for both sides.

Neither team scored in both overtime periods, sending it to a shootout.

Maryland forward Hope Rose took the sixth and final shot.

Rose drove towards the goal, backing into Borzymowski. Rose hit a couple fake moves, before spinning to her right, flipping a shot up past Borzymowski to put the Terps ahead.

On the next attempt, Maryland goalkeeper Paige Kieft stalled forward Charlotte de Vries, stopping her shot as the Terps stormed the field and the crowd went wild as No. 2 Maryland field hockey advanced to the Final Four in a 3-2 shootout victory over No. 8 Syracuse. 

“I’m so proud of the team,” coach Missy Meharg said. “I mean, so gritty, so resilient, so coachable.”

The bout started slow, as both defenses prevented any offensive movement early on. 

Maryland’s offense got aggressive towards the end of the first quarter, when midfielder Kylee Niswonger recorded the first shot on goal with 5:17 left in the quarter, but the Terps couldn’t convert.

The Terps received the first penalty corner of the game with 4:24 left in the quarter. Shots by defender Riley Donnelly and midfielder Dani van Rootselaar were blocked by Borzymowski, keeping the game scoreless. 

Maryland received its second penalty corner of the quarter with 1:39 left. Van Rootselaar’s shot again was saved by Borzymowki, who ended the first quarter with five saves. 

“Had to make some adjustments after the first quarter and how we were pressing their backs and they just responded so well.” Meharg said.

Syracuse’s first scoring opportunity came in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Forward Quirine Comans weaved through the Maryland defense and delivered a shot that was kicked away by Terps goalkeeper Christina Calandra. 

Minutes later, Comans attempted another shot that was deflected off another fielder. The deflected ball caught Maryland’s defense and Calandra out of position, trickling into the right bottom corner of the cage to put Orange ahead 1-0. 

With 3:18 left in the second, the Terps had a chance to tie with a penalty corner. Midfielder Bibi Donraadt inserted the ball for a van Rootselaar shot, but the graduate transfer had her shot saved by Borzymowski. 

The Terps could not get another shot off in the half, entering halftime down 1-0 despite attempting six more shots than the Orange. 

The Terps received an early opportunity to tie the game in the third with a string of four penalty corner attempts starting in the first minute of play. 

Rose’s shots on the first two attempts were stifled, blacked by the defense on the first attempt and saved by Borzymowski on the second. On the next attempt, van Rootselaar attempted two shots, but both got blocked by Borzymowski. Donnelly fired the shot on the next attempt which again was stuffed by Borzymowski. 

In total, the goalkeeper notched four saves during the sequence. 

Syracuse received a corner of their own with 7:46 left in the quarter. Midfielder SJ Quigley inserted the ball for a shot by Eefke van den Nieuwenhof. Calandra dove onto her side, saving the Van den Nieuwenhof shot to keep Maryland within one score. 

The Terps again failed to capitalize on opportunities however, stalling on their next penalty corner attempt without a shot attempt. 

With less than a minute of play in the fourth quarter, the Terps received their ninth penalty corner. DeBerdine inserted the ball for a Donnelly shot that was too soft. 

After commotion for the ball in front of the goal, Deberdine came away with it, whacking a shot into the goal past Borzymowski to tie the game at one. It was the eleventh shot on goal of the game for the Terps, and the first one that was a success. 

With under six minutes left in the game, Maryland set up its offense near the goal and Borzymowski. DeBerdine delivered a pass to Klautz with her back towards the goal. The freshman spun around and delivered a shot into the left side of the goal to put the Terps ahead 2-1 in a game they had no momentum in just ten minutes prior.

The lead was short lived, however, as trailing by one with 4:20 left, Syracuse attempted a penalty corner to tie the game back even. Van den Nieuwenhof delivered a high arching shot over a diving Calandra into the net of the cage to bring the score at two-all. 

Neither team scored again in regulation, sending the game into overtime.

Maryland entered the extra period with a clear advantage in overtime experience, going 5-1 in extras while Syracuse played only one overtime match, a 2-1 win over James Madison.

Both teams generated fast break opportunities to open up overtime, but neither could convert.

With 53 seconds left in the first overtime period, Syracuse received the first penalty corner of the period. Van den Nieuwenhof’s shot was too high, sailing over the goal as the two teams entered a second overtime period. 

Double-overtime started slow, like the first, as only one shot attempt came in the first eight minutes of the ten minute period. 

With 1:53 left, the Orange received the lone penalty corner of the period. 

Calandra registered another kicking save on a shot by de Vires to keep the game tied. Neither team scored, sending the game to a shootout after 80 minutes of play.

For the shootoff, Maryland inserted Kieft, its designated penalty stroke goalie.

“My mind just kept going back to the team and how hard they’ve worked,” Kieft said. “I just wanted to give the same level of resilience and grit that they had shown the whole entire game.”

Syracuse got to an early 2-0 lead on the shootoff, but Kieft punched away the next two attempts and Rose and Donraadt tied it back up at two.

Neither team scored on their fifth shots, forcing a sixth shot, where Rose and Kieft won it for the Terps. 

“You’ve just got to stay in it,” Meharg said. You’ve got to stay in it and be resilient … College Park is a home for that.”

Maryland advanced to the Final Four and will play next on Friday.