No. 10 Maryland field hockey edges past No. 13 Saint Joseph’s 1-0

Photo by Allison Mize/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

With 33 seconds remaining in the final quarter of a scoreless game, No. 10 Maryland field hockey had a chance to break the tie on a penalty corner.

The Terps failed to score on their prior two opportunities, but this time capitalized. 

Sophomore Maci Bradford inserted the ball to junior defender Josie Hollamon, who quickly dished a pass to her left to forward Ella Gaitan. The sophomore ripped a blistering shot into the lower right corner, sending the Maryland Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex into a frenzy.

“Keep knocking on the door until it opens,” Gaitan said on the team’s mentality.

Backed by the late goal and strong defense, Maryland edged past No. 13 Saint Joseph’s 1-0 on Sunday at the Terrapin Invitational.

Entering Sunday’s contest, neither Maryland (4-2) nor Saint Joseph (3-2) had surrendered more than two goals in a single game this season. The result was a slow defensive standoff in the opening quarter as the two teams combined for just one shot.

As the game progressed, the Terps eventually earned a few penalty corners. Neither penalty corner in the second and third quarters ended up in points, but they did present some new corner plays, with one involving a striker near the goal that almost ended in a point but was kept out. 

The pair of penalty corners helped spark Maryland’s offense, generating chances in transition. The Terps’ best chance came on a breakaway from sophomore Ellie Goldstein, but her shot was blocked before it reached goalkeeper Paige Kieft.

Before playing for Saint Joseph’s, Kieft dwelled with the Terps. The graduate student spent four seasons at Maryland, spending last season as a shootout specialist. But Kieft has been solid for Saint Joseph’s this season, sporting a .857 save rate heading into Sunday’s game and making four saves against her former team.

“She’s a good goalie,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “She chose to do graduate work not at Maryland; she has another year of course, she could have played here.”

But in the final minute of the game, the Terps’ offense finally broke through as Gaitan’s third goal of the season resulted in the game’s only score.

Defensively, Maryland was equally dominant. The Terps swarmed the Hawks anytime they passed midfield, limiting Saint Joseph’s to just one penalty corner and two shots all game. 

The Terps will now look to carry their defense performance into Big Ten play when they play No. 17 Penn State on Friday.