Field Hockey: No. 3 Terrapins thrash Tigers

The Tigers were coming off an uplifting victory over Yale, rebounding from a rocky beginning to the season. But Maryland (8-1), a perennial field hockey powerhouse, gave Princeton (3-5) a reality check, beating the visitors 6-2.

The Terrapins wasted no time attacking, taking their first shot on goal 11 seconds into the game. Sophomore goalkeeper Christina Maida made the save but gave up an early lead on a goal by Megan Frazer after a penalty corner four minutes later. Maryland scored from another penalty corner moments later, and the Terrapins quickly got another ball past Maida when Katie Gerzabek found the back of the net with a hard shot from the top of the circle.

In the 28th minute, a shot rebounded off of Princeton’s goal post and Jemma Buckley deflected it in for yet another Maryland goal. Princeton called a time-out and head coach Kristen Holmes-Winn sent freshman Julia Boyle in for Maida at goalkeeper.

Princeton soon earned a penalty corner but failed to score as Maryland goalkeeper Natalie Hunter deflected a shot from senior midfielder Alyssa Pyros. Another penalty corner with about a minute to go was also fruitless, and the Tigers were down 4-0 at the half.

Though Maryland entered the game as a clear favorite, the Tigers had reason to believe they could pull off an upset. Princeton surprised the then-unbeaten Terrapins at home at last year’s meeting, handing them their first regular-season loss in nearly two seasons and snapping an 11-year losing streak against Maryland.

But yesterday’s Princeton team was not the same as last season’s. Though the Tigers notched an impressive victory over No. 7 Penn State earlier this year, the absence of four All-Ivy starters — who are playing for Team USA this fall — has been felt in five early losses, including two to unranked teams. The Tigers find themselves in a four-way tie for third in the Ivy League.

In place of the absent starters, some younger players have a chance to show what they can do. One such player in a new role is sophomore back Amanda Bird, who broke through three minutes into the second half to put Princeton on the board with her third goal of the season. She was assisted by freshman midfielder Sydney Kirby, who has also become a reliable part of the offense.

Still, Maryland’s powerful offense kept coming. Jill Witmer, one of the top 10 scorers in the NCAA, scored her 11th goal of the season off of a rebound. Keeping the pressure on, the Terrapins took two more shots on goal in the next two minutes, but Boyle blocked both.

The Tigers brought the ball back down the field, allowing Bird two more chances to score, but neither got past Hunter. Two minutes later, Maryland took two shots of its own; the first was blocked but the second went in, giving the hosts a 6-1 lead.

As time ran down, Princeton took three more shots and was finally rewarded again as freshman striker Allison Evans found the net for the fourth time this season, a goal that was initially credited to Kirby. Boyle and her fellow defenders played better as the game went on, but the third-ranked Terps proved to be too much to handle.

Now 3-5, the Tigers will head back to Princeton for three consecutive home games. The first, against Ivy League rival Columbia, is practically a must-win game to keep their hopes of winning a seventh consecutive conference title alive.