IU beats Maryland late for 5th place finish

The No. 9 Hoosiers trailed No. 17 Maryland by two goals entering the final quarter of the Triton Invitational on Sunday. Due to a five-goal performance in the final stanza, however, the Hoosiers defeated the Terrapins and claimed fifth place in the tournament in La Jolla, Calif., with an 11-10 victory.

“We battled against a tough opponent and made some crucial plays late,” IU Coach Barry King said in a press release. “We executed in the fourth quarter when we needed to, both offensively and defensively. I’m very pleased with the weekend overall.”

It was the second straight victory against a ranked opponent for IU after the team defeated No. 16 University of California, Santa Barbara earlier in the day.

Sophomore Shae Fournier, who matched a career high in goals against UCSB, matched it again during the match against Maryland when she found the back of the net four times. Freshman Shelby Taylor joined in the scoring with her first career hat trick Sunday.

Senior goalkeeper Cassie Wyckoff stopped two Terrapin shots during the final possession to seal the win and total 11 saves for the match.

IU led 2-1 at the close of the first quarter, but a five-goal second quarter from Maryland put IU in a 6-5 hole at the half. Taylor, Fournier and freshman Summer Creighton all scored a goal in the second quarter.

Taylor scored her second goal of the match to pull the game to a 7-6 margin midway through the third quarter, but 20 seconds later, the Terrapins responded with a goal of their own.

The lead increased to three goals early in the fourth quarter, but Fournier scored with seven minutes remaining to spark a 5-1 run during the rest of the match. Her next goal, which came with fewer than three minutes remaining, gave IU its first lead since the 2:34 mark in the second quarter.

It was the final lead either team would possess, and IU finished with an 11-10 win. The team’s record improved to 8-3, and the Hoosiers will return to action Feb. 25 against Hartwick in Albany, N.Y.

— Alex McCarthy