North Carolina junior Meghan Dawson had a consistent mantra throughout two tense overtime sessions against Maryland in Sunday’s NCAA field hockey championship.
“Time and space,” Dawson implored her teammates.
Instead it was Maryland sophomore Megan Frazer who got the message.
After taking a cross from senior Katie O’Donnell and freeing herself with a spin move, Frazer got what she needed — time and space — and slammed a 15-yard shot just inside the far post to give Maryland a 3-2 victory and sweet vengeance for last year’s title-game loss to the Tar Heels.
“I had a picture in my mind of them winning last year,” said Frazer, a midfielder from Derry, Northern Ireland. “I just wanted it to be us this year.”
The shot, which came with 2:10 left in the second overtime, delivered Maryland its seventh NCAA title and sixth under 23-year coach Missy Meharg.
“It was a sweet, sweet shot, backboard height,” O’Donnell said. “It was a rocket. I don’t think anyone in the nation could have saved that.”
The storybook ending would have been for O’Donnell, the runaway all-time scoring leader at Maryland, to notch her 100th career goal and second national championship all in one stroke. Instead, she set up Frazer for the game winner, making a brilliant steal of an outlet pass deep in the North Carolina end.
“I didn’t have any energy left,” O’Donnell said. “I knew if they got that pass out, I was going to have to run all the way down the field. It was either five steps or a hundred yards, so that was a no-brainer.”
It was a game that Maryland (23-1) appeared destined to lose. The 5-foot-9 Dawson had held the 5-2 O’Donnell scoreless for the second straight year in the title game. As the clock ticked down in the second half, North Carolina (22-3) had a 2-1 lead.
But with 7:25 left in regulation, sophomore Harriet Tibble scored with a deft backhand flip that surprised Carolina senior goalie Jackie Kintzer (nine saves). It was the first goal this season for Tibble, a defender from Surrey, England.
All the Terps’ goals and assists came from international players. Freshman attack Hayley Turner (Fernhill Heath, England) gave Maryland a 1-0 lead on a feed from junior defender Jemma Buckley (Perth, Australia).
“They beat us with 11.9 seconds left [in last year’s final]. Forever, I will remember that time,” O’Donnell said. “This year, I know we won with two minutes and 10 seconds left in overtime on an amazing shot on an amazing field in an amazing environment.”
Game notes
» The only team with more NCAA championships than Maryland is Old Dominion with nine. UNC has won six.
» Maryland’s Katie O’Donnell, Harriet Tibble, Megan Frazer and Lauren Barr made the all-tournament team.
» Also selected to the all-tournament team were UNC players Meghan Dawson, Jackie Kintzer and Kelsey Kolojejchick. They were joined by Rachel Jennings (Virginia), Paige Selenski (Virginia), Aisling Coyle (Ohio State) and Paula Pastor-Pitarque (Ohio State).
