No. 11 Maryland field hockey looks to build another winning streak against Ohio State and Michigan State this weekend

After going 1-1 against a pair of ranked opponents last weekend, Maryland field hockey will face consecutive unranked teams for the first time since August.

The No. 11 Terps (6-3, 2-0 Big Ten) play Ohio State (4-5, 0-1 Big Ten) on Friday and Michigan State (3-6, 0-2 Big Ten) on Sunday, kicking off its slate of six consecutive Big Ten games.

Junior goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko and Maryland’s backline have been sturdy all season, but were especially stout in a 1-0 win over No. 12 Michigan on Sept. 26. The shutout in that game was the Terps’ third of the season.

No. 8 Princeton was able to crack Maryland’s defense in their 2-1 win over the Terps, though. The Tigers outshot Maryland 20-9, including an 11-1 deficit in the third quarter. 

Maryland is now 3-0 against teams ranked outside the top 10, but 0-3 in matches against top-10 opponents.

Despite Maryland’s long-standing record of wins against the Buckeyes, the matchup between these two teams last season saw Ohio State prevail 2-1. The victory marked Ohio State’s first win over Maryland in the 21 games the two programs played to that point. 

Graduate Makenna Webster, who leads the offensive line at Ohio State, netted the game-winning goal in that match. The forward has 14 goals this season – 12 more than any other Buckeye. She also leads Ohio State in assists with four.

Maryland’s defense will need to reboot and shake off the loss against the Tigers to hold off Webster and Ohio State’s offense. Reestablishing their position as a strong defensive team will be crucial for the Terps. With both captains playing defense, that side of the ball has been a focal point.

Annemijn Klijnhout, who has been a key transitional player this season, was the sole scorer in the last matchup between Maryland and Ohio State. She will have the opportunity to do it again, but with a new forward line, there may be some new goal scorers.

Ohio State sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Stevens holds a 71.1 save percentage, fourth-best in the Big Ten. Stevens is playing her first year with the Buckeyes after seeing no action at Liberty last season and transferring. She’s proven herself as a valuable asset on the backline, recording a shutout in her most recent game against Delaware 

Maryland has dominated Michigan State in the past, with the current all-time series record standing at 17-0 in the Terps’ favor. The last time these two teams faced off, the score was 3-1, with the only score by Michigan State coming from sophomore midfielder Lilian Knorr.

Knorr has yet to score a goal this season in 301 minutes of game time.

The Terps will likely need to look out for backline sophomore Caro Schafer and senior forward Gracie Burns.

Despite her designated position, Schafer has managed to work her way up the field a number of times to accumulate a team-leading seven points (two goals, three assists) for the Spartans. 

On the forward line, Burns is tied for second on the team with five points.

The Spartans have two goalkeepers who have had their chance this season, so it could be a toss-up as to who Michigan State will decide to start against the Terps. 

Junior goalkeeper Lyra Gavino has started the Spartans’ last four games, but has conceded 14 goals over that span and lost all four contests. She has a save percentage of 67.7 with 44 saves under her belt this season. 

Sophomore Ashley Herbert has a save percentage of 55.6 with five saves, and hasn’t started since Sept. 13. 

If Maryland wants to keep with the precedent, they will need to slip a few shots past either  of these goalies. 

Both of the teams the Terps will face this weekend have vastly different outlooks on the season than Maryland. Ohio State and Michigan State enter the weekend unranked and with a losing record. The two-game slate should serve as a chance for Maryland to extend its conference winning streak.