No. 8 Maryland field hockey falls to No. 6 Rutgers in penalty shootout, 3-2

By: Wade DeVinney

No. 8 Maryland field hockey (7-3, 0-1 Big Ten) fell to No. 6 Rutgers (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten) in crushing fashion on Thursday, losing 3-2 in a penalty shootout.

The Scarlet Knights continued its perfect start to the season despite facing its toughest challenge yet. came into the game undefeated with nine wins. The Terps fell in their conference-opener.

Maryland scored first just three minutes in, as Margot Lawn struck with a shot beating Rutgers goaltender Sophia Howard. Howard was on the ground and was unable to move to the shot, and the Terps went up 1-0 as a result.

The first quarter was mostly a defensive ordeal, with only two shots between the sides. The Scarlet Knights’ lone attempt came when Marique Dieudonne hit the left post of the net.

Rutgers notched its first goal with eight minutes left in the second frame when a ball bounced off of Maryland defender Josie Hollamon’s stick and into the goal. Julianne Kopec was credited for the goal.

The second half was only one-and-a half minutes old when Guillermina Causarano scored right in front of the net to give the Scarlet Knights their first lead of the day. The Terps tied the game a little later as Maci Bradford came up with a turnover and went on a breakaway. Howard came out of her net to attempt a poke check, but Bradford stick-handled around her and scored in the empty net.

That was the lone score of regulation.

Later after keeping busy in Maryland’s territory, Causarano unintentionally collided with Terps defender Ericka Morris-Adams. Causarano was slow to get up, but she jogged off the field under her own power. Rutgers challenged the play, believing it was entitled to a corner, but the officials determined that the ball never hit anybody’s feet and there was no illegal contact.

Another Scarlet Knight left the game with four minutes remaining in regulation. Midfielder Ava Cickavage left the field in clear discomfort, and a team trainer helped her off the field. She re-entered the game in the first overtime.

In the outing’s first overtime, Rutgers’ Iris Langejans got sent off in the first overtime after receiving a green card for running Maryland’s Hannah Boss out of bounds at the Rutgers goal line. But the Terps could not capitalize, and the Scarlet Knights killed off the penalty.

Causarano got on a breakaway in the waning seconds of the first overtime, but Hollamon sprinted downfield to tie up Causarano’s stick to prevent her from getting a clean shot, and the ball went wide left as time expired.

Causarano continued to be a problem for Maryland with two chances in the second overtime. She forced Terps goalkeeper Paige Kieft to make a difficult save from her knees on her first try. Later on, she spun around Boss and had a wide open shot, but in doing so accidentally hooked Boss’s ankle and lost possession. 

The second overtime ended with Maryland and Rutgers still tied, resulting in a penalty shootout to determine the victor.

The Terps’ Sammy Popper scored first in the penalty shootout, but it was all Maryland could do. After saving two Puck Winter attempts, Kieft let three shots in, and officials blew the Terps’ Nathalie Fiechter’s run dead after ruling she lost control of the ball. Maryland challenged the ruling, but to no avail, resulting in the crushing defeat.