Strong second half pushes No. 8 Maryland over No. 17 Princeton, 16-12

Hannah Leubecker picked up a ground ball early in the fourth quarter and sprinted forward. Open grass laid ahead of the attacker. 

Leubecker dished Maisy Clevenger, who found her sister Eloise Clevenger. Clevenger flicked the ball into the net to cap a dominant 7-0 run by Maryland. 

“We just really made the decision to put our foot down, to capitalize on our possessions and limit turnovers and it paid off,” Chrissy Thomas said.

No. 8 Maryland’s second-half dominance drove the Terps to a 16-12 victory over No. 17 Princeton. The win in Maryland’s regular season finale cemented a bounce-back performance following a loss to No. 24 Penn State on Saturday. 

The Terps’ senior attackers shined as Eloise Clevenger, Leubecker, and Chrissy Thomas all scored hat tricks. Kori Edmondson also netted three goals and used her ability to generate offense on aggressive drives to frustrate the Tigers’ defense. 

“We were attacking the cage hard and finishing on our shots,” coach Cathy Reese said. “So I think that we could kind of carry on the momentum that we were creating.”

Maryland was inefficient last game against Penn State and managed only 11 goals on 36 shots. But the Terps began the night against Princeton with goals on their first five shots. 

Maryland pinpointed passes to cutters near the crease to create quick, high percentage shots. Eloise Clevenger scored twice in the first quarter.

Princeton’s attack responded to each Maryland blow. Grace Tauckus also netted two first quarter goals and helped the Tigers level the match at five apiece. 

Maryland has struggled to keep opponents off the eight meter and continued the trend today. Three of the Tigers’ first six goals came from free position chances, including a Kari Buonanno score in the second quarter to grab Princeton’s first lead and fuel a 4-0 run. 

Maryland’s offense has stalled in the second quarter of late, netting only seven goals in the period over the last eight matches. But the Terps’ veterans stepped up today. 

Leubecker scored to break an over 13-minute scoring drought. Libby May and Chrissy Thomas then both added goals to reclaim the lead. 

McKenzie Blake’s size and scoring kept the Maryland defense on high alert. The attacker scored off a well drawn up play to tie the game at eight all at halftime. 

The Terps started the second half strong, winning the first four draws and going on a 7-0 run, fueled by two goals from Edmondson. Princeton attempted to speed up the Maryland attackers and force mistakes with early double-teams. The Terps remained calm and consistently made the extra pass. 

“We’re used to seeing a lot of high pressure defenses,” Thomas said. “So when the double was sliding, we just worked on finding the backside and staying composed with pressure.”

Maryland controlled possession in the third quarter through dominance in faceoffs and its defense shutting down any Princeton attacking openings. The Terps attempted nine shots compared to just four Tigers’ attempts. Princeton was whistled for 15 third quarter fouls while Maryland recorded zero.

The Terps executed an effortless transition passing sequence to start the fourth quarter and extended their lead to seven. 

Goalie Emily Sterling saved 11 shots and limited any momentum Princeton attempted to pull.  

The Tigers finally snapped their over 24-minute scoring drought with a Meg Morrisroe goal. Princeton grabbed the momentum and went on a 4-1 run powered by two goals from Blake, but it was too late. The Terps’ defense made the necessary stops to escape with a victory.