The rematch of last year's national championship game ended in the same manner - with the Terrapin field hockey team on top.
The second-ranked Terps faced a familiar opponent in No. 5 Wake Forest in front of an ACC-record crowd of 1,734 fans at the Field Hockey Complex, and proved once again that they are as good as any team in the country with a convincing 3-2 victory.
Led by freshman forward Katie O'Donnell and senior goalkeeper Kathryn Masson, the Terps overcame a sluggish first half and dominated the ball in the second half to the tune of 12 shots on goal to the Demon Deacons' six.
O'Donnell scored two of those goals, including a memorable game-winner. She stopped a slightly errant pass from sophomore forward Nicole Muracco, broke away from her defender, faked out approaching goalie Crystal Duffield and pushed it into an open goal for the clincher. It was the ACC-leading O'Donnell's 11th goal of the season.
"I had the butterflies in my stomach a little bit," O'Donnell said of facing Wake Forest for the first time. "You just have to fake it till you make it."
Senior back Janneke van Leeuwen scored the second goal for the Terps - a rebound off her original shot.
With the game tied 2-2 in the second half, senior goalie Kathryn Masson came up big with two spectacular saves. After a Terp defender fell down, Wake Forest had a two-on-one, with Masson as the one. Masson stopped a hard shot, sending the ball toward the middle of the field. The other was a diving stop off of a penalty corner that kept the game tied late in the second half.
"There was a period when we were disorganized, but we got it back together," Masson said. "We were off in the beginning, but found our way in the end."
The anticipated top-five matchup caused an overflow crowd at the Field HockeyComplex, as fans filled not only the stands but the lawn by the entrance as well.
And it was never louder than when O'Donnell scored the decisive goal with about 11 minutes left.
"It's a great feeling running down the sideline and having people yell 'Go Odie!'," said O'Donnell, who has a point in each of her first nine games and 33 overall to lead the nation.
Wake Forest had won seven of the previous 10 meetings between the teams, including last year's ACC Championship game, but the Demon Deacons failed to find a rhythm on offense in the second half, rarely having possession in the final minutes when they needed it most.
"The second half is evident that we're strong, we're a strong team," coach Missy Meharg said.
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