Hope Rose hat trick leads No. 4 Maryland field hockey to 3-1 victory over Miami (OH)

During a stretch in which the Terps scored a pair of goals in two games, No. 4 Maryland field hockey star Hope Rose was invisible on the stat sheet. That wasn’t the case for long.

Rose leveled Miami (OH) in the first game of the Terrapin Invitational with the first hat trick in a Maryland uniform, striking twice in the first half and adding yet another in the second half to bring her point total up to a team-leading 15 on the year.

Rose’s excellent performance gave Maryland (5-1) a lead it didn’t relinquish, cruising past Miami (3-2) on Friday, 3-1. The game was called early due to weather.

In what’s becoming a familiar spot for the Terps this season, the first quarter was an offensive stalemate, as both teams’ defenses looked sharp to begin the game. Junior Paige Kieft earned the start over freshman Alyssa Klebasko in net for coach Missy Meharg, and she performed admirably against the Redhawks.

Kieft finished with one save on the night.

Both sides combined to attempt only two shots total over the first 10 minutes, both from Meharg’s squad.

Miami received the first quality scoring opportunity with a penalty corner, but was unable to put the ball in the back of the net as Claudia Negrete Garcia had her shot blocked by the Terps’ defense in their first test of the contest.

Maryland got its own penalty corner shortly after, putting the ball in the back of the net only to have the shot immediately waved off after it was deemed dangerous by the refs.

But the Terps didn’t have to wait long to get on the board as Rose scored her sixth goal of the season on their next penalty corner on an insert by Margot Lawn to give Maryland a 1-0 lead after a quarter of play.

The second quarter started similarly to the first as both sides tried to go on the attack without success, but Rose again seized an opportunity. With just over six minutes into the frame the junior scored yet again as her missile from the right wing gave her a multi-goal game, her second of the year in just six games.

Maryland headed to the half with a 2-0 lead as its defense thoroughly stifled Miami’s offense, with the Redhawks only managing two shots total as Keift didn’t even have to make a single save.

The Terps’ offense was in fine form as they recorded 12 shots by the end of the half with six on goal.

The halftime intermission lasted slightly longer than expected as storms in the area led to a 50-minute delay, but Meharg’s unit didn’t lose a step in the third quarter.

Maryland also caught a massive break as Redhawk Paula Navarro intentionally fouled a Terp within the shooting circle. This gave the Terps their first penalty stroke of the season, which Rose wasted no time capitalizing on for her third goal of the game and first hat trick of her career.

Miami also received a penalty stroke with under 10 seconds left in the quarter, but Navarro’s shot was stopped by a diving Kieft to keep the Redhawks scoreless after three.

They finally got on the scoreboard less than four minutes into the fourth quarter as Carlie Servis converted on a one-on-one attempt past Kieft to make it a 3-1 game.

Mother nature struck again less than a minute later as lightning entered the vicinity, ending the game with 10 minutes of remaining play to give Maryland its fifth win of the season.

The Terps will look for sustained success in their next contest this weekend as they face Yale on Sunday.