Seniors and freshman share starring roles in field hockey's win

One by one, three Terrapins field hockey team seniors walked to midfield at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex for the final time in their regular-season careers as teammates cheered emphatically from the sidelines.

There, midfielder Jemma Buckley, goalkeeper Melissa Vassalotti and student assistant coach Meghan Dean were met by a mob of coaches and family members honoring them. Last night's game, as its senior-night label suggested, was all about the team's upperclassmen.

Yet it was a freshman who stole the show for the Terps. First-year forward Katie Gerzabek notched her first-ever hat trick for the Terps yesterday against Drexel, scoring half of the team's goals in a 6-2 Terps victory.

"It's definitely exciting," Gerzabek said. "I definitely want to keep to this performance and keep improving throughout my four years, so by my senior year, I'm even better."

It might have been a freshman who delivered the game's strongest performance, but both Vassalotti and Buckley played integral parts in the Terps' (14-3) victory.

The two seniors' performances marked fitting ends to their regular-season home careers, as both made their first-ever starts for the Terps in a game against Drexel last season. Vassalotti's efforts in the cage last night were vital to the Terps' defensive dominance against the visiting Dragons (10-7), recording four saves on 11 shots and keeping Drexel scoreless for the game's first 55 minutes.

Buckley was also a factor in the game for the Terps, adding to the team's offensive onslaught with a second-half goal and an assist.

"It's really exciting going into it, knowing it's my senior night," Vassalotti said. "The season isn't over yet and we have a lot more to accomplish, but it is bittersweet."

"It's just a little bit sweeter, I guess, on senior night to win that last home game," Buckley said. "It's a good feeling for us."

Holding a four-goal lead late in regulation, the Terps also had an opportunity to get in some situational practice near the game's end. With just less than three minutes remaining on the clock, coach Missy Meharg pulled Vassalotti out of the cage and inserted sophomore defender Christine Knauss in her place.

With just one more game before the start of the postseason, the move wasn't too unusual. Meharg said afterward she wanted her team to practice for a situation when the Terps would pull their goalie and put an extra player on the field if the team found itself trailing late in a postseason game. The strategy didn't net any results, but the Terps at least saw what could happen.

"It's something we haven't practiced yet," Meharg said. "It gives you two people up in the front field, so the concept is to get a goal. Hopefully, when the situation comes, we'll be able to pop one in and tie it."

The game might have been the last one in the three seniors' regular-season home careers, but it will be far from their last ones as Terps. With Sunday's road contest at Rutgers and next weekend's ACC Tournament in College Park, not to mention next month's NCAA Tournament, each of the seniors still has plenty of field hockey left in her career.

"I love playing for Maryland," Buckley said. "It's going to be sad when it actually comes to an end, but hopefully [that's] in a couple weeks."

vitale@umdbk.com