Field Hockey

For almost all of Thursday’s matchup between No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Northwestern, the Terrapins dominated the contest. But a late goal from senior defender Kirsten Mansfield knotted the game at one, turning the game into a more even contest.

The two powerhouses went to overtime, and the game seemed destined for a shootout. But freshman defender Alia Marshall was disposed deep in Wildcats territory by Emma DeBerdine. DeBerdine dribbled up and shot the ball past junior goalkeeper Florien Marcussen into the far netting, giving Maryland (10-1, 3-0 Big Ten) the 2-1 overtime victory Thursday at Lakeside Field.

“We didn’t have a good first half,” Marcussen said. “It’s frustrating if you do such a good job coming back in the game and lose it in the final few minutes.”

NU (10-3, 3-1) played most of the game in its own half of the field, as the Terrapins forced the issue on the offensive end. Led by Bibi Donraadt and Linda Cobano, Maryland outshot the Cats 12-0 in the first half.

The Terrapins got on the board about six minutes into the game. Kelee Lepage hit the ball inside the circle and sent a curler past an outstretched Marcussen.

“It could have been 4-0 in the first half,” coach Tracey Fuchs said. “I thought Flo played probably the best game of her career today and really held us in the game.”

Coming off winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for her performances against Michigan and Michigan State, Marcussen saved a season-high nine shots against the potent Maryland attack. The Netherlands native gave credit to her defense for clearing rebounds and forcing the Terrapins to shoot from tough angles.

NU did not manage a single shot until 35 minutes into the contest from redshirt freshman phenom Bente Baekers, and they didn’t earn its first corner until there was 2:29 remaining in the contest. But the Cats took advantage of the opportunity.

Mansfield took the corner and played a pass to the middle of the circle, where junior forward Lakin Barry fired a shot on net. Noelle Frost got a piece of the ball but could not make a full save. The ball snuck underneath her, and Mansfield was there to tie the game.

“I was able to just hit it in as it was slowly rolling,” Mansfield said. “Just a little scrappy goal, but it works.”

With more shots, Maryland had seven corners to NU’s two and 11 shots on goal to the Cats’ three.

The loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for NU, during which the Cats won five games over ranked opponents. NU returns to the turf against Maine in Newton, Mass., on Sunday.

Despite the crushing loss, the Cats’ spirits were not totally deflated.

“There’s like mixed emotions because obviously we want to win when we come out on our field,” Mansfield said. “But we definitely battled today. We gave it all we got to the very last second. You can’t be like mad, but it’s hard.”

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