Emma Way netted the game-winner at 99:59 for a 3-2 Wolverines victory.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Junior Emma Way scored the game-winning goal at 99:59 — with just one second remaining in double overtime — to propel the sixth-ranked Michigan field hockey team to a 3-2 victory over No. 15 Maryland on Friday night in front of 432 fans at Phyllis Ocker Field. The win was Michigan's first over Maryland since the 2001 NCAA championship game and pushed the Wolverines' Big Ten record to a perfect 4-0.
Way's game-winner started with a free hit with less than 10 seconds remaining in the second overtime. Sophomore Kayla Reed passed the ball back to senior Katie Trombetta, who, from the midfield, hammered a hard pass into the circle. The ball bounced off a couple of sticks and snuck behind Terp goalkeeper Sarah Holliday after a 50-50 ball pulled her out of the cage. Way dove to knock it into the open net just at the buzzer sounded. It was her seventh goal of the season and second overtime game-winner in three contests.
Tonight's Double-OT Hero. @emmatway on her winning goal. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/LJLfXxymhz
— Michigan FieldHockey (@umichfldhockey) September 30, 2017
Michigan held a 2-0 lead in the first half after jumping on the Terrapins early, scoring the game's first tally just 1:06 into the first half, but Maryland answered, scoring late in the first before evening the score with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Graduate student Carly Bennett took advantage of a scrum in front of the Terp cage to score the Wolverines' early marker at the 1:06 mark — her sixth of the season — while freshman Halle O'Neill tallied her first collegiate goal at 20:00 to provide Michigan the two-goal cushion, taking a corner pass from striker Trombetta and redirecting it in from the right post.
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Maryland responded quickly, however, as Lein Holsboer charged the circle and scored from the left side just five minutes later at 25:12 to put the Terps on the board. Melissa Wilken netted their game-tying marker on a reverse chip that hit the post and went at the 60:15 mark to force overtime.
Pure Exhilaration! @emmatway #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/waqzwcWsb7
— Michigan FieldHockey (@umichfldhockey) September 30, 2017
The Wolverines largely outplayed Maryland through the extra stanzas, outshooting the Terps 8-1 and drew a pair of early corners but could not capitalize on several chances until Way's diving goal.
In all, Michigan outshot the Terps 21-9 and outcornered them 12-3. Senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson earned four saves, while Maryland's Holliday stopped seven of 10 Michigan shots on goal.
Michigan (8-2, 4-0 Big Ten) will close out the home weekend on Sunday, hosting Ball State in non-conference play at 2 p.m. ET at Ocker Field.
