Big Ten tournament preview: No. 8 Maryland field hockey vs. No. 7 Iowa

No. 8 Maryland field hockey (14-4, 6-2 Big Ten) will face No. 7 Iowa (13-4, 4-4 Big Ten) in the first round of the Big Ten tournament in Ann Arbor on Thursday. The winner will advance to the semifinals on Friday.

The Terps find themselves as the No. 3 seed in the tournament after losing their regular season finale to Northwestern, 5-1. Maryland could have clinched a share of the Big Ten regular season title had it won the game.

“We were definitely on the backfoot,” coach Missy Meharg said. “We made some good tactical changes at the half to get back into it, but [Northwestern’s] a very dominant team.”

The Terps and the Hawkeyes met once in the regular season — a 4-1 Maryland victory on Oct. 20. Sammy Popper opened up the scoring for Maryland as she notched a first quarter goal less than two minutes in to give the Terps an early lead they never relinquished.

“If we want to be in a really good position to potentially host in the NCAA tournament [and] would be really good going into the Big Ten’s we’ve got to make sure we take care of business against every team,” assistant coach Scott Tupper said. “Our girls have been quite good at that.”

Popper finished the regular season tied for third on the team in goals (7) and fourth in points (15). This included a stretch where the graduate student scored a goal in four straight games in October.

Hannah Boss also struck in the first quarter against Iowa — her first of two goals against the Hawkeyes. The sophomore had her best performance of the season versus Iowa, as she doubled her season goal total against the Hawkeyes alone to power Maryland’s offensive attack in the win.

Alyssa Klebasko was also crucial in securing the win protecting the cage. The freshman made four saves and only allowed one goal. Klebasko has been a standout newcomer for the team, headlining a defense that’s only allowing under 1.3 goals a game.

Iowa’s defensive front is arguably even stronger than the Terps’. Goalkeeper Mia Magnotta leads a Hawkeyes defense that allows the second-fewest goals per game in the conference. Maryland’s four-goal performance was the most goals Magnotta had allowed in a single game all season.

The Terps will also have their hands full when it comes to containing an Iowa offensive attack that averaged just over 3.4 goals per game in the regular season, the best mark in the Big Ten.

Big Ten Freshman of the Year Dionne von Aalsum leads Iowa’s offensive charge as the conference’s leader in goals (27) and points (60).

Forward Annika Herbine is another offensive weapon for the Hawkeyes; she’s fourth on the team in goals (4) and second in points (17). Herbine scored Iowa’s only goal against Maryland.

In contrast, the Terps ‘offensive attack averages just over 2.6 goals per game, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten. Forward Hope Rose leads the Terps in goals (12) and points (26). Freshman Maci Bradford is not far behind, second on the team in goals (9) and third in points (22).

Maryland holds an advantage in the all-time series against Iowa with a 19-6-1 record. If the Terps win, they will advance to face the victor of the Rutgers-Michigan game in the semifinals on Friday at 3:30 p.m.