No. 8 Maryland field hockey outclasses No. 7 Michigan, 2-0

The Terps earn their 10th win of the season.

With the sun shining down on The Plex Sunday, No. 8 Maryland field hockey took down another ranked team, beating No. 7 Michigan, 2-0. Goals from Hope Rose and Josie Hollamon helped the Terps earn their 10th win of the season.

“I think today was finally a game that we played the whole 60 minutes, which is great to have after the Ohio State game,” said Rose. “[We’re] keeping that mentality and progress going through the next game.”

This top-10 matchup started fast, with both teams racing the length of the field in a dead heat, trying to find an advantage outpacing its opponent. The Terps enjoyed more sustained possession, but could not finish several silky offensive moves with a shot.

The only true opportunity of the first quarter for either side came from a well-timed run by Fleur Knopert to latch onto a perfectly weighted ball by Emma DeBerdine — the shot went just narrowly wide.

But Maryland maintained their momentum entering the second quarter and saw its efforts duly rewarded.

With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, the Terps won their first penalty corner of the game. DeBerdine hammered in the entry pass, Kylee Niswonger controlled and Rose fired off a rocket at the Michigan net. The shot took a heavy deflection off Michigan’s Abby Tamer’s stick, leaving goalkeeper Hala Silverstein helpless. Michigan now trailed for the first time since Sept. 1.

“Nobody wins off of how nice it looks,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “We were just focusing big time on penalty corners and organization. I mean, they started to bury us [in the second half], but thankfully, they had a ton of errors.”

The Wolverines were angry coming out of the second half, with Tamer flashing a shot wide just 30 seconds in to offer Maryland a warning of what was to come. Michigan continued to press their advantage, but numerous errors, forced and unforced, kept Maryland off the hook on most plays.

And when the Wolverines went error-free, individual plays from Maryland made the difference. Michigan earned two more quality glimpses in the third quarter, but a strong block from Rose off a penalty corner and a save from Alyssa Klebasko kept the Maryland lead intact.

As the game entered the fourth quarter, though, it became about surviving the siege for the Terps. The Wolverines kept the ball in the Maryland half for nearly the entire quarter, and the team’s nerves were evident. Passes to clear pressure were not completed, and Michigan was gaining steam. Uncharacteristic fireworks went off along the sideline, Meharg earning a green card for her frustrations that mirrored those of her team.

But when it mattered most, the defense held strong. Klebasko made back-to-back saves off shots from Lora Clarke and Esmee de Willigen and the defensive trio of Rayne Wright, Ericka Morris-Adams and Hollamon intervened in key areas. Klebasko finished with three saves and a clean sheet, her fifth of the year, as a Michigan team that had scored 54 times through 12 games blanked for the first time this season.

As Maryland got stretched to its limit, DeBerdine earned a green card for a hard foul. Without their veteran midfield anchor, the Terps had to rely on their young core to step up and hold steady, and they did so excellently — Michigan did not record another shot for the remainder of the game.

Time slipped away and frustrations started to eat at the Wolverines. Maryland won the ball with four minutes remaining and fended off the attack, progressing slowly up the field before winning a penalty corner. Hollamon took the ball, cut to her right and let off a bouncing, off-speed shot that just evaded the hand of Silverstein, scoring her fifth goal of the season and sealing the game for Maryland.

It was a dominant win for the Terps, and a performance that was much improved from Friday, when the team faltered late against No. 3 Ohio State.

“We really honed in on things that needed to be worked on and worked out before the game,” DeBerdine said. “And I think that we did a really great job of pulling all that together and bringing that into [today].”

With a complete performance and an important win under its belt, this young Maryland team looks to be coming into its own at the right time.

Three things to know

1. Major win for Maryland. This win marks the first time this season Maryland has beaten a team ranked higher than itself. The Terps are now 3-4 in games against top-10 opponents this season.

2. Maryland unlocks Michigan’s defense. Michigan had outscored opponents, 26-6, in the first half entering this game, and had only conceded two goals total since Sept. 8. The Terps’ efficiency on penalty corners made the difference — two corners, two shots and two goals.

3. Regular season winding down. The Terps have three games remaining before they enter postseason play. They travel to No. 15 Princeton on Friday before coming home for Senior Day on Sunday against Richmond.

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