EVANSTON, IL -- Dani Van Rootselaar sunk her second consecutive game winner and earned her second straight two-goal game to power No.3 Maryland (11-1, 5-0) past No.2 Northwestern (10-2, 1-2) in Evanston, Ill.

The Terps battled through a contest that earned its hype as a matchup of top-5 teams. Despite only scoring two goals, Maryland mostly controlled the action especially on the offensive side of the field as the Terps held the shot advantage in every quarter but the first, and a 24-9 lead overall. 

With the win, Maryland has now defeated two consecutive top-five opponents in three days, with both victories coming on the road. This pushes the Terps to a perfect 5-0 start in the Big Ten, their best start to conference play since 2015.
 
Breaking Down The Action

• Northwestern converted their first penalty corner as a Bente Baekers shot took a large deflection off Paige Kieft into the top left corner.
• The Terps responded in just over a minute of game action as a Dani Van Rootselaar penalty corner deflected past Annabel Skubisz to even the score.
• With two minutes remaining in the first quarter Riley Donnelly cleared a Baekers shot off the goal line to keep the Wildcats off the board.
• The first quarter was a true stalemate with Maryland and Northwestern holding even in shots, corners and goals.
• Maryland increased the offensive pressure in the second quarter, out shooting Northwestern 6-1. This included two strong shots on goal from Leah Crouse and Margot Lawn.
• Maryland dominated possession in the third quarter, where they killed off two green cards and held a 5-2 advantage in shots.
• The Terps continued to lay on the pressure offensively in the fourth quarter extending their significant advantage in both shots (24-9) and corners (11-4) but could not net the game winner in regulation.
• Dani Van Rootselaar punched in the game winner early in overtime, sneaking a ball in the bottom right corner after a goal line drive against the defense.

Notable Numbers

• 3: The number of game winning goals Dani Van Rootselaar has on the season, she has now scored the game deciding goal in consecutive games
• 9: Dani Van Rootselaar scored her ninth goal of the season and fourth in the last two games
• 11: The number of penalty corners Maryland drew compared to Northwestern's four
• 12: The Terps shot advantage over Northwestern, leading 24-9

Overtime Is Our Time

• The Terps are now 78-28 all-time in overtime and shootouts.
• Under Missy Meharg, Maryland is 67-24 in overtime/shootouts. 

Series History

• Maryland's Sunday afternoon game was the 30th matchup with the Wildcats.
• The Terps hold a significant advantage in the series, now holding a 19-11 overall record, and a 6-3 series advantage in Evanston, Ill. 

 
Up Next

• The Terps will return to College Park as they host Big Ten opponent Indiana on Oct. 7 at 6:00 p.m.