No. 5 Maryland field hockey at No. 6 Virginia preview

Written By ApurbaDa September 17, 2023 Add Comment

The Terps look to bounce back after a home loss to Princeton.

After five straight home games, No. 5 Maryland field hockey will be on the road Monday for a top-10 matchup against No. 6 Virginia.

Maryland (6-2) looks to get back in the win column after being upset by unranked Princeton on Thursday, 3-2.

Monday’s matchup is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ACC Network.

No. 6 Virginia Cavaliers (5-2, 0-1 ACC)

2022: (13-8, 3-3 ACC)

Monday’s game is the last in a three-game homestand for the Cavaliers. Virginia won four straight games before falling to No. 14 Boston College on Friday, 2-1.

Maryland’s former ACC foe is led by head coach Michele Madison, who is in the midst of her 18th season. She previously had stints at Temple and Michigan State, and is the only Division I field hockey coach to take three different programs to the NCAA Tournament.

The Cavaliers have notable wins over ranked competition this season, defeating Penn State, Saint Joseph’s and Harvard. They did, however, lose to then-No. 14 Liberty.

Maryland shut out Virginia, 2-0, last October in College Park.

Players to Know

Daniela Mendez-Trendler, sophomore midfielder, No. 19 — Mendez-Trendler, a Reirsterstown, Md., native, spearheads a Virginia team that has outscored its opponents, 19-8, this season. The 2021 All-Metropolitan Player of the Year leads the Cavaliers with four goals and four assists.

Tyler Kennedy, junior goalkeeper, No. 24 — Kennedy has allowed more than two goals just once all season. The third-year starter leads the ACC with 26 saves and two shutout wins.

Laura Janssen, graduate striker, No. 15 — Similar to Mendez-Trendler, Janssen can take over games. Janssen, who was fifth in the conference with 12 goals last season, is off to a hot start this year. She had four assists in a two game span earlier this month, and posted three points in Virginia’s season-opening win over Penn State.

Strength

Saves. Even with five of its first seven games coming against ranked opponents, Virginia has held its own in net. Led by Kennedy, the Cavaliers have a conference-best 30 saves this season, trailing only Boston College, which has a .789 save percentage.

Weakness

Corners. Virginia has struggled at drawing corners this season, tallying just 28 attempts compared to Maryland’s 52. The Cavaliers are the second-worst team in the ACC at drawing corners over the past two seasons, managing just 108.

Three things to watch

1.How will Maryland respond? After losing their first game of the season against Duke, the Terps’ attack came out firing in the first quarter against Boston College. They ended up winning that game in overtime, but will the Terps have a similar start Friday as they come off a tough loss.

2. Can the Terps improve on penalty corners? On both ends of the field, Maryland struggled with penalty corners in its last outing. After scoring twice off a season-high 10 corners against Yale, the Terps failed to convert on any of their eight corners on Thursday. In response, Princeton nailed the game-winner on its last corner of the game.

“Our players would agree that we need more attention to our attacking penalty corners,” Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said after the loss to Princeton.

3. Will Meharg experiment before conference play? Following Monday’s game, Maryland will play nine of its final 10 regular season games against Big Ten opponents. After keeping things consistent through the first eight games, playing Virginia may be the perfect opportunity for Meharg to experiment with the starting lineup, penalty corner inserter and bench rotation.

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