Box Score BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The seventh-ranked Maryland field hockey team used a second half surge to top Michigan State, 3-2, Friday in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals at Indiana University. With the win, Maryland (17-3) moved to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals Friday at 1:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
The Terrapins trailed the Spartans (5-14) at halftime, then outshot them 20-3 in the second half and scored twice to win their 15th straight game since mid-September.
“Maryland took a little while to get into our game,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “We opened decently strong, but when opportunities fell, we lost our momentum for a bit. I applaud Michigan State. Second half, Maryland was sharp. They followed the game plan very well. Tournament is an opportunity to advance. Very proud of the women and we look forward to playing Northwestern tomorrow.”
Fifth-year senior Welma Luus gave Maryland the early lead six minutes into the match when she knocked in a loose ball for the score. Senior Anna Dessoye sent a bouncing ball up to the goal from the midfield. It bounced off the cage and Luus finished it off for the score.
With 19 minutes to go in the first half, the Spartans tied the game with a score off a penalty corner by Heather Howie.
In the 24th minute, Michigan State took a 2-1 lead with a penalty stroke by Kristin Matula. The Spartans held their 2-1 lead at the break.
The Terrapins turned up the offensive pressure in the second half, taking six shots in the first five minutes of the period. Just 5:22 into the period, Big Ten Player of the Year Sarah Sprink tied the game when she banged in a score off a corner. It was originally ruled too high, but the Terrapins used their video referral and the call was overturned.
Thirty-two seconds later, Luus gave the Terrapins the lead back when she collected a pass from sophomore Lein Holsboer and buried a backhanded shot behind the Michigan State goalkeeper for a 3-2 lead.
Freshman goalkeeper Sarah Holliday made four saves total.
The Terrapins racked up numerous honors from the Big Ten conference Wednesday. Head coach Missy Meharg was named Coach of the Year for the Second Straight Year, Sprink was named Big Ten Player of the Year and freshman Linnea Gonzales was voted Freshman of the Year.
Sprink and Dessoye were unanimous selections to the All-Big Ten First Team. Luus and Gonzales were both named to the Second Team. Senior Shari Jones earned a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Maryland is the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament this week in Bloomington, Ind. The Terrapins will play fourth-seeded Northwestern (13-7) Friday at 1:30 p.m. in the semifinals, which will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network.
Click here to get your channel number for BTN. BTN is available on all major video providers, including DIRECTV, Verizon FiOS, Comcast Xfinity, and about 300 additional video providers across North America. Fans can also watch on BTN2Go, or on the BTN's mobile app, and will be asked to enter their cable login information.
International fans will be able to watch using their BTN Plus subscriptions here.
The second semifinal will be played Friday at 4 p.m. and the Big Ten Tournament championship match will be Sunday at noon. All matches in the Big Ten Tournament will be televised on BTN.
Tickets start at $10 for adults and are $5 for youth (18 and under) and students. Click here for the Big Ten Tournament Central page.
Maryland beat Northwestern, 3-2, in College Park on Sept. 18. Dessoye scored twice and added an assist on Gonzales' score in the win.
-Terps-
