Wake Forest University
Maryland
Field Hockey Beats Maryland In Strokes
9/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 24, 2005
College Park, Md. - Junior Kristina Gagliardi saved three of five penalty strokes, pushing the No. 1 Wake Forest field hockey team past No. 2 Maryland, 3-2, in College Park, Md., Saturday afternoon. The game was forced into penalty strokes after regulation and two overtime periods left the score at 2-2.
"The heart and the passion that the girls played with defines this team," said head coach Jennifer Averill. "There were a lot of people doubting us coming into this game and that ended up being one of our strengths. I couldn't be more proud of the way we played today."
The last and only other time the Demon Deacons have played into penalty strokes was last season against North Carolina. In that outing, the Deacs fell, 3-2.
Maryland got on the board early as Paula Infante brought the ball into the far end of the circle and passed it to Sarah Scholl who injected it into the back of the cage just two minutes in. At the 20 minute mark, Wake had a chance to catch the Terps with a pair of corners and then a field opportunity off a cross from Chelsea Cipriaini. Earning four more penalty corners in the next six minutes, Wake finally connected when Kristi Harshman took a strong shot that jumped over the Maryland keeper and into the net.
With five minutes remaining in the first, Infante beat the Wake defense and brought it toward the circle. Drawing a penalty corner from the Deacs, Maryland fired a shot, but Kristina Gagliardi went to the ground for the save. Immediately bringing the ball back down into the Terps territory, Wake ran the clock down and the teams went into the break tied.
Wake Forest held possession for the majority of the first 10 minutes of the second half, but Infante twice brought the ball down the field for two painfully close opportunities. After the second shot, Maryland drew a pair of penalty corners. In the first, Gagliardi dove and saved Infante's shot. In the second a shot by Emily Beach went in the opposite direction of Gagliardi's dive and put the Terps up by one.
As the game progressed, it remained competitive with Wake Forest holding onto the majority of control. With less than six minutes remaining, freshman Minou Gimbrere had the ball alone at the top of the circle, which drew out the Maryland keeper. Committing a foul, the Deacs were granted a penalty stroke. Taken by senior Maeke Boreel at the 5:42 mark, Wake Forest tied the score.
Closing regulation, Maryland had several chance to finalize the game, but strong defense by Ariel Meyers, Martha Ferger and Kelly Wood kept the ball out of the cage.
The score remained the same through the both overtime periods, despite nine Maryland shots to Wake's zero. As the game progressed to strokes, Gagliardi saved the first two and then the last two. Gimbrere, Wood and Meyers all scored, to lead the Deacs past the Terps, 3-2.
The Demon Deacons, who remain undefeated on the season, 7-0, will next face Appalachian State Thursday, Sept. 29. Game time at Kentner Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
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