As the regular season nears its end, postseason implications loom large over every game. When the opponent is a conference rival, those stakes are even higher.

No. 11 Maryland field hockey and No. 17 Rutgers both came into Friday’s crucial Big Ten matchup ranked, and both were desperate for a win. The Terps and Scarlet Knights each dropped their match last weekend and sat next to each other in the Big Ten standings.

The match went into overtime after a sluggish regulation period by both offenses. But unlike the previous weekend against Indiana, Maryland’s offense came through. Freshman Maia Adamson scored her first career goal as Maryland defeated Rutgers, 1-0, at the Bauer Track and Field Complex for a resume-boosting win.

“It’s really about putting the quarters together,” coach Missy Meharg said. “We found a way in the third and fourth quarter, played really good hockey and then, of course, a beautiful finish to take the game.”

Meharg has believed in her team all season despite the struggles. After dropping two hard-fought home games last weekend, she said she felt the team was playing below its ceiling and had to accept that to improve from good to great.

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Maryland looked far from great once again, and the offensive struggles were apparent throughout. The Terps were held scoreless in regulation and struggled to generate shot attempts and corners all game — shooting eight shots and earning only three corners.

Maryland had earned just one corner all game when the clock ran out in regulation. But junior Maci Bradford worked into the Scarlet Knights’ attacking circle as time expired, earning the Terps a chance to win the game.

Maryland put up two shots in its first chance and generated a wide-open shot attempt off the entry pass on the following corner. Still, Rutgers goalie Emily Nicholls proved to be an elite goalie, saving all three attempts.

The freshman came into Friday with the second-highest save percentage in the Big Ten. She recorded four saves on the day on Maryland’s five shots on goal, but her offense did her no favors, as Maryland’s defense played possibly its best game of the season.

The defense shut down the Scarlet Knights’ leading scorer, Olivia Fratecelli. The junior was held to zero shot attempts, a continued trend as the Terps shut down opposing star players.

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Crucial late game stops highlighted the Terps’ stellar defensive performance. They stopped multiple breakaway chances from Rutgers. Senior Ericka Morris-Adams made two huge plays — her sliding tackle in the third prevented a wide-open shot attempt, and her stick prevented a Scarlet Knights shot attempt in the attacking circle late in the fourth quarter.

Ericka Morris-Adams was definitely the [player of the game],” Meharg said. “She intercepted, communicated to tackle, she distributed [and] her ball speed was incredible.”

It wasn’t just the late-game stops — it was an entire game of dominance by Maryland’s defense. Anchored by reigning Big Ten defensive player of the year Josie Hollamon and the rest of the back line, they made goalie Alyssa Klebasko’s game easy. She recorded no saves as Rutgers failed to attempt a shot on goal.

In overtime, it was much of the same. The Scarlet Knights pushed the ball down the field, but the Terps’ defense wouldn’t budge. They made enough stops for the offense to redeem themselves for their poor performance throughout — and Bradford didn’t let another golden opportunity pass by.

The junior controlled the ball deep in the corner and swung the pass to Annemijn Klijnhout. Adamson received the entry deep, and as the ball bounced off her stick, she forced Nicholls to step up. With the open net, Adamson buried the game-winning goal to clinch a huge victory for the Terps.

“Over time, it’s ruthless,” Meharg said. “What I love is that we’ve had three of them, and we’ve grown in each one.”