Ciconte's Goal in OT Lifts No. 5 Maryland Field Hockey over No. 4 Duke, 5-4
10/9/2004 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 9, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Junior All-American Jackie Ciconte scored on her own rebound in overtime, lifting fifth-ranked Maryland over fourth-ranked Duke, 5-4, in a pivotal ACC clash at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Terps stand alone in second place in the ACC at 2-1, while the Blue Devils fall into a third-place tie with Wake Forest with a 1-2 record.
"I'm proud of the team's mental vigilance coming off of a disappointing loss [to American]. This game could have gone either way," said Maryland head coach Missy Meharg. "I'm proud of their mental toughness and I'm proud of their fight."
With two of the top five teams in the nation battling it out for positioning in the conference standings, the game featured nine goals, three penalty shots, 21 penalty corners, 51 shots, an extra 13 minutes and 20 seconds of action and a lot of excitement.
The last time these two teams met was in the 2003 NCAA Tournament semifinals when Duke got the better of the Terps, 4-2. Maryland (12-2, 2-1 ACC) had been waiting a long time to avenge that loss. Sophomore All-American Paula Infante (Santiago, Chile) gave the Terps their first lead, converting a penalty shot at 15:11 in the first half. But Duke (9-3, 1-2 ACC) evened the score, 1-1, just before the end of the period on a penalty corner goal by Gracie Sorbello.
The statistics at the break were almost equal, with Duke holding the slight edge in shots, 9-8, and Maryland outcornered the Blue Devils, 5-3. Maryland freshman goaltender Kathryn Masson (Richmond, British Columbia) put together a solid first half, making three saves in the period.
The Terps came out firing in the second period, reclaiming the lead at 38:25 as Infante moved along the top side of the scoring circle to the left side and sailed a shot past the goalie, making the score, 2-1. Ciconte (Wilmington, Del.) batted in a rebound in the 46th minute to put Maryland out in front, 3-1.
Duke's Amy Stopford put her team within a tally when she scored in the 52nd minute, but Maryland senior Colleen Barbieri (Centereach, N.Y.) responded eight minutes later to give the Terps a two-goal cushion with a shot from the baseline, 4-2.
Back-to-back penalty shots were called in Duke's favor, however, the first at 60:18 followed by another at 63:48, allowing the Blue Devils to knot the score at 4-4 and send the game into overtime. Johanna Bischof and Stopford each converted a penalty shot for Duke.
The Terps had to fend off 10 Duke penalty-corner opportunities in the period, while earning just two to make it to the overtime. Masson continued to step up in key moments of the game, making five saves in the second half and a number of defensive clears on breakaways.
Looking for the golden goal in the extra period as just seven players are on the field for each side, Maryland created the most opportunities. Many were man-up breakaways which were thwarted by Duke keeper Christy Morgan. In the game's final play, Ciconte received a pass from the baseline in front of the goal. Morgan made the save, however, Ciconte answered with the putback to give Maryland its 12th-straight win over the Blue Devils in College Park. Duke has never recorded a road victory against the Terps.
The Terps were outshot for the first time since the 2002 season, as Duke had 28 attempts while Maryland had 23.
Masson ended the game with a career-high nine saves, while Duke goalie Morgan had six.
Maryland returns to action, hitting the road for two contests against top-10 squads. The Terps visit Norfolk, Va., to close out the home-and-home series with Old Dominion on Oct. 15. Maryland then travels to Michigan for the first time ever on Oct. 17.
#4 Duke (9-3, 1-2 ACC) 1 3 0 -- 4 #5 Maryland (12-2, 2-1 ACC) 1 3 1 -- 5GOALS: DU- Gracie Sorbello (Katie Grant, Johanna Bischoff), pc, 31:20; Amy Stopford (un), 51:14; Johanna Bischof (ps), 60:18; Amy Stopford (ps), 63:48. MD- Paula Infante (ps), 15:11; Paula Infante (un), 38:25), Jackie Ciconte (un), 45:11; Colleen Barbieri (Tiffany Marsh), 57:44; Jackie Ciconte (un), 83:20. SHOTS: DU 28, MD 23. PENALTY CORNERS: DU 13, MD 8. SAVES: DU, Christy Morgan 6 (5 GA, 83:20); MD- Kathyrn Masson 9 (2 GA, 83:20), Christina Restivo 0 (2 GA, 0:00). ATTENDANCE: 315.
