Wake Forest University
Maryland
Maryland Edges Deacons For NCAA Championship
11/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 19, 2006
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - No. 2-ranked Maryland used a suffocating defense and a lone first-half goal to beat No. 1 Wake Forest 1-0 and win its second consecutive NCAA field hockey championship here Sunday.
Maryland, 23-2, scored the only goal of the game with just under five minutes remaining in the first half when senior Emily Trycinski tapped in an unassisted goal.
Trycinski emerged from a scramble near the goal and poked the ball past Deacon goalkeeper Crystal Duffield at the 30:08 mark.
"I was just lucky to be in the right place," Trycinski said. "It's crazy. I did not expect it (hitting the game-winner) at all."
Trycinski's goal was a rare offensive highlight in a game dominated by defense. The two teams combined for just 11 shots, breaking an NCAA Tournament finals record for fewest shots.
Wake Forest, which entered the game averaging more than 22 shots on goal per game, took its first legitimate shot seven minutes into the second half. The Deacons did have two unobstructed shots at the goal in the second half. Christina Suggs' shot with 18:30 remaining and Lauren Crandall's shot from a penalty corner both sailed high and over the goal.
"I thought the second half we started to play some good field hockey," said Wake Forest coach Jennifer Averill, the ACC Coach of the Year. "I thought we put ourselves in position in the second half to tie the game, we just couldn't capitalize."
The Deacons, 22-2, could muster little offense in the first half. Wake Forest, the ACC regular season and postseason tournament champion, did not attempt a shot in the first period and their only penalty corner was stopped. Maryland took six first-half shots and one penalty corner.
"The first half was not indicative of how we play," Averill said. "But give credit to Maryland. They played a great game."
An energetic crowd of approximately 2,400 was on hand at Wake Forest's Kentner Stadium to watch Maryland snap WFU's 12-game winning streak.
"I thought we were just outstanding defensively today," Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said. "Winning a second straight national title, going into this season, was not really in our thinking. We feel so fortunate to be in this position."
Wake Forest and Maryland, which have combined to win the last five NCAA crowns (WFU in 2002-2004 and Maryland 2005-06), have developed a rivalry. The Terrapins beat the Deacons in Winston-Salem during the regular season, 3-2 on Sept. 23. Wake Forest gained a measure of revenge in the ACC Tournament Championship with a 1-0 win over the Terrapins.
Sunday's game marked the second time Wake Forest and Maryland have met in the national title game. The Deacons beat the Terrapins, 3-0, in the 2004 finals, also held in Winston-Salem.
Both Wake Forest and Maryland advanced to the finals after playing extra minutes in Friday's semifinals. The Deacons beat Duke 5-4 in double-overtime on a game-winner by sophomore Michelle Kasold. Maryland topped Connecticut 2-1 on penalty strokes after redshirt senior goalkeeper Christina Restivo come off the bench to make two saves.
Maryland beat Richmond and Penn State to advance to the semifinals. Wake Forest advanced to the semis with wins over American and Virginia.
The Deacons made their seventh consecutive appearance in field hockey's "final four", but Sunday marked the first time Wake has ever lost in the title game.
Maryland now owns five NCAA field hockey championships, second only to Old Dominion (9). The ACC owns 12 field hockey crowns - five by Maryland, four by North Carolina and three by Wake Forest.
