No. 10 Maryland field hockey faces Indiana and No. 1 Northwestern in weekend homestand

No. 10 Maryland field hockey (8-4, 4-1 Big Ten) is back at home this weekend with two games at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park. The Terps will face off against Indiana (5-7, 0-3 Big Ten) on Friday and No. 1 Northwestern (11-1, 3-0 Big Ten) on Sunday.

Maryland’s most recentgame against Iowa ended in a 2-1 victory for the Terps. In that game, Maryland fell into a one-point deficit near the end of the third quarter before quickly tying it up and taking the lead soon after.

The first game for Maryland this weekend is against Indiana at 4 p.m. on Friday.

The last meeting between the Hoosiers and the Terps ended in a 3-0 shutout victory for Maryland. The Terps have never lost to Indiana in the two programs’ 13 matchups.

Indiana’s offense is led by budding star forward Mijntje Hagen. The sophomore is tied for the team lead in assists (five) and goals (eight), and paces the Hoosiers in points (18).

Indiana’s primary goalie, sophomore Sadie Canelli, endured a rough patch against ranked Big Ten opponents. In three games against No. 11 Iowa and No. 14 Rutgers, Canelli posted consecutive save percentages below 50%. She rebounded in her most recent matchup with No. 18 Miami (Ohio), though, boasting a save percentage of 70%. Canelli’s season average remains at 56.8%.

In comparison, Maryland goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko’s save percentage this season is 77.8% and the average for a collegiate-level goalie is 70% to 80%.

After a brief break on Saturday, the Terps will play Northwestern at 1 p.m.

The Terps picked up their first win against a top-10 opponent this season on Oct. 10 against Iowa, though they’ve largely struggled against that caliber of competition. Maryland dropped matches to No. 8 Boston College, No. 5 Duke and No. 8 Princeton.

The Tigers defeated Northwestern 3-2 on Monday, handing the Wildcats their first loss this season.

Overall, the series history between Maryland and Northwestern is quite even, with the Terps holding a 19-15 advantage. The Wildcats have recently dominated the matchup, however. Northwestern has beaten Maryland in five consecutive games, a streak dating back to 2022.

The Wildcats’ key goal scorer is junior back/midfielder Ilse Tromp, who has tallied 11 this season. She was the sole scorer of the previous matchup between the Terps and Wildcats.

Complementing Tromp is Northwestern’s assists and points leader, forward Ashley Sessa. The junior often sets up Tromp and other scorers, but she also has eight goals herself.

The top team in the nation is unsurprisingly sturdy on the defensive end as well. Redshirt freshman Juliana Boon is in the cage for the Wildcats and has been a stalwart. She’s maintained an impressive 87% save percentage, the highest mark in all of Division I. Boon has posted seven shutouts and has only allowed six goals this season.

Maryland has notched the second-fewest goals and shots on goal in the Big Ten. The Terps’ offense will likely need to play its best game of the season to knock off the Wildcats for the first time in three years.