COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The 18th-ranked Old Dominion field hockey team suffered a 3-1 loss to No. 2 Maryland on Sunday afternoon at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Md.
"I though we hung in there and hand chances, but we played a little flat today" said Head Coach Andrew Griffiths. "I think the difference in the end was that we had four corners and didn't score and they had five and scored twice. If we are going to win big games we've got to get that figured out."
The first 15 minutes of the first half proved to be a defensive game, with both teams only recording one shot. The Maryland Terrapins (9-2) broke the scoreless tie at the 12:06 mark off their first penalty corner of the match.
Freshman Victoria Rezette (Wezembeek-Oppem, Belgium) had the best opportunity to score for the Lady Monarchs (6-5) with 5:51 left to play, but Terrapins goalkeeper, Brooke Cabrera, made the save. Junior keeper Megan Hept (Chesapeake, Va.) followed suit, making a big save with 4:48 on the clock to reach the 1-0 halftime score.
After 14 minutes of scoreless play in the second period, Maryland’s attack found an opening and charged down the field. Hept again came up with an impressive save, which led to a Lady Monarch offensive attack and a penalty corner. Megan Byas (Driffield, England) knocked a hard shot from the left side, but the shot went wide.
Maryland added the insurance goal at the 52:11 mark and took the 2-0 lead. The Terrapins continued to attack and were awarded another penalty corner one minute later, but Hept and the ODU defense held strong and cleared the ball.
Senior Rosario Villagra (Salta, Argentina) got the Lady Monarchs on the board when she went one-on-one with the goalie and sent the ball into the left side of the cage. That goal marked her team-leading seventh tally of the season. ODU could not overcome the two-goal deficit in the final minutes, as the game ended in favor of Maryland.
Hept finished the game with seven saves, which ties her season high that she set against Liberty. Carbrera earned the shutout for the Terrapins, finishing with five saves. Maryland held an 12-9 edge in shots and had a 10-6 lead in shots on goal. The Terrapins also had a 5-4 lead in penalty corners.
ODU will be back in action on Friday, October 10 when it travels to No. 6 Connecticut for a 6:00 p.m. contest. You can keep up with the game with live stats or watch the match live here.