COLUMBUS, OH – The No. 2 Terps kicked off their pursuit for a third Big Ten Tournament Championship with a 5-2 victory over No. 20 Ohio State as
Riley Donnelly scored two goals, including the game-winner, in the win. Maryland, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, will face No. 3 seed Northwestern (2-1 OT winner over Rutgers) Friday at 4 p.m., in the tournament semifinals. That game will air on Big Ten Network.
As they have done much of the season, the Terps had a flair for the dramatics with late decisive goals, scoring three goals in the final period. Donnelly scored her second goal of the day with 11:11 left in regulation off a penalty corner by
Emma DeBerdine and assisted by
Nathalie Fiechter making it 3-2.
Hope Rose sealed the game with an empty net goal with 2:04 left in regulation, making it 4-2. It was her team-high 13th of the season.
Donnelly gave the Terps a 2-1 lead as time expired in the first half. Similar to the game-winner, Fiechter and DeBerdine found her on a penalty corner with one second remaining and the Terps used that momentum heading into halftime.
Leah Crouse scored her 10th goal of the season to open the scoring in the second quarter. Ohio State evened the game twice at 1-1 and 2-2 before the Terps captured the victory.
DeBerdine returned and started for the Terps after missing the last five games with an injury.
In the goal, Maryland's
Christina Calandra made five saves in the win.
Maryland is now 17-2 overall. Ohio State dropped to 11-8.
Breaking Down The Action
- Danielle Van Rootselaar and Maura Verleg each put a shot on goal in the first quarter, forcing Ohio State's Abby Danson to come up with saves. The Maryland defense did not allow a shot on goal in the opening stanza.
- With 8:08 remaining in the first half, The Terps went on top in style as Leah Crouse was in the right place at the right time and punched an airborne, deflected penalty corner shot into the back of the net.
- Maryland and Calandra came up with three clutch penalty corner stops in the second quarter, but the Buckeyes capitalized on their fourth attempt and knotted the game at 1-1.
- The Terps swung momentum back in their favor heading into halftime as Donelly converted off a penalty corner with one second remaining to put Maryland back on top, 2-1.
- Ohio State leveled the game at 2-2 with 2:38 left in the third quarter as Sarah Charley scored her team-best 12th goal of the season.
- Donnelly's second goal of the game in the fourth quarter -- off a penalty corner - gave the Terps the victory.
- Ohio State threaten late in the game, but the Terps kept them off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter and Rose's empty net goal gave the Terps a two-goal edge. Van Rootselaar added another empty-netter for a 5-2 lead.
Notable Numbers
- 2: DeBerdine had a season-high two assists and had two assists in a game for just the second time in her career.
- 3: The Terps are hunting for their third Big Ten Tournament title, previously winning in 2015 and 2018.
- 4: With a pair of goals, Donnelly had her fourth career multi-goal game.
- 6: The Terps had five more shots on goal than the Buckeyes, with a 13-7 advantage.
- 10: With the game's opening score, Leah Crouse now has 10 goals on the season. She joins Hope Rose (13), Van Rootselaar (12) and Bibi Donraadt (10) as the Terps' fourth double-digit goal-scorer.
- 10: With two assists, Fiechter now has a career-high 10 assists this season.
- 11: The Terps now have 11 victories over ranked opponents this season.
- 12: Maryland has now won 12 games in the Big Ten Tournament since joining the conference in 2014, with a 12-5 overall record, including three wins apiece in 2015 and 2018.
Series History
- The Terps remain undefeated against the Buckeyes all-time, moving to 19-0 all-time and 6-0 in Columbus.
- Maryland previously defeated Ohio State in Columbus with a 4-2 victory on Sept. 16.
Up Next
- The Terps move on to the tournament semifinals where they face Northwestern. The game will take place in Columbus at 4 pm EST and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
-- TERPS --
