Maryland field hockey is 3-0 against teams ranked outside of the top 10, but it’s dropped all three of its matches against top 10 opponents. The Terps have a chance to change that against No. 10 Iowa.
No. 12 Maryland (7-4, 3-1 Big Ten) faces No. 10 Iowa (7-2, 1-1 Big Ten) this weekend in Iowa City, Iowa, the final game of the Terps’ three-game Big Ten road trip. The Terps are 1-2 while playing away from home this season, including a crushing overtime loss to Ohio State on Friday.
The Hawkeyes are the first of three ranked conference foes Maryland plays in its next four games. With only one game this weekend, the Terps need to secure a win to make it a success.
Historically, the Terps hold a 16-3 record against Iowa. Last year’s matchup saw the Terps prevail over the Hawkeyes 1-0 in a shootout in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Maryland returns sophomore midfielder Annemijn Klijnhout and junior forward Maci Bradford, two key scorers in the shootout.
Junior midfielder Dionne Van Aalsum, who has amassed 17 goals and 36 points this season, and freshman midfielder Felicia Zonnenburg, who leads the Hawkeyes with 10 assists, will fuel Iowa’s offense.
Van Aalsum has 11 more goals and 20 more points than any other Hawkeye. She’s been a key player for the Hawkeyes since her freshman year, when she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Following her freshman year, she led the team in goals and points just as she has this year.
Zonnenburg has made an immediate impact in her first year. She trails only Van Aalsum, a fellow Netherlands native, in points. Many of Zonnenburg’s assists have come from being an injector on penalty corners.
Iowa goalkeeper Mia Magnotta holds the sixth-highest save percentage in the Big Ten at 71.9%. The redshirt senior has also tallied 46 saves, the third-most in the conference.
Knowing how tough the opposing goalie is, Maryland’s offense will need to ratchet up the pressure on the net. The difference in this match will likely come down to scoring and offensive movement.
Both teams have stalwart goalkeepers, so a shots-on-goal advantage may be the deciding factor of this match. Van Aaslum scored Iowa’s only goal in its recent loss to No. 1 Northwestern, so keeping her away from the scoring area should be paramount for the Terps’ defense.
After losing to No. 8 Princeton on Sept. 28, Maryland has another chance to shake off its woes against top 10 teams. The Terps play No. 1 Northwestern and No. 2 Virginia in the home stretch of their season, so their matchup against Iowa this weekend could be telling.
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