Ohio State struggled against a top-ranked team in No. 10 Maryland Saturday in College Park, dropping its second-straight game and fourth loss to a Big Ten opponent.
The Buckeyes (5-9, 0-4 Big Ten) couldn’t find an answer for the Terrapins (10-3, 4-0 Big Ten), who came out strong right out of the gate scoring two early goals in the first two minutes of the game from junior attackers Victoria Hensh and Eloise Clevenger. Clevenger finished with eight assists, breaking the Maryland program record in a single game.
Ohio State responded with a goal of its own from sophomore midfielder Maddie Barhorst on a free position shot, but couldn’t keep up with the Terrapins offense. The first quarter ended with Maryland ahead 7-3.
The second quarter started off with a goal from senior attack Libby May for Maryland. May leads the Terrapins in goals scored with 45 this season and is among the top 15 in goals scored nationally.
Ohio State was unable to score in the second quarter and couldn’t stop Maryland’s offense that scored four goals in the frame. Other scores from freshman midfielder Kori Edmondson and junior attack Chrissy Thomas helped the Terrapins with a strong 11-3 lead at halftime.
Maryland opened the third quarter with a score from senior attack Hannah Leubecker, but the Buckeyes responded with back-to-back goals from senior attack and captain Nicole Ferrara and junior midfielder Jamie Lasda.
Ferrara finished the game with two goals and two assists. She is currently on a nine-game goal and point streak.
The final goal of the third quarter came from Edmondson who scored with three seconds left for the Terrapins on a man-up goal. The quarter ended with Maryland ahead 15-6.
The final quarter started with a Maryland goal on a free position shot from junior midfielder Shannon Smith. Another goal from sophomore midfielder Demma Hall increased the Maryland advantage by 10 goals starting a running clock.
With less than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Maryland scored its last goal of the game from Hensh assisted by Clevenger. She now has 37 assists for the Terrapins this season and is among the top 10 nationally.
The last goal for either team came from Lasda — her second of the game. Lasda ended the game with two goals and one assist. The final buzzer sounded with a final score of 18-7.
The Buckeyes will return to Columbus to play another Big Ten opponent in No. 2 Northwestern April 15 at 6 p.m. The game will broadcast on BTN+.