No. 4 Maryland field hockey drops both games in Big Ten/ACC Challenge; falls 2-1 vs. No. 5 Duke

Photo by Austin DeSisto/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

No. 5 Maryland field hockey sought “revenge” against No. 5 Duke on Sunday.

“I think revenge is the right word,” defender Ericka Morris-Adams said on Tuesday. “We’re coming, but we’re coming to play our field hockey and we’re really going to set our standards.”

But Maryland was unable to do just that, falling to Duke 2-1 at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Durham, NC.

“I think in my time here, I have yet to beat Duke. My class has yet to beat Duke,” defender Josie Hollamon said on Tuesday. “It’s our time to write our names into the scorebooks here and the energy we bring … I think is gonna be more important than anything they’re doing.”

The Terps played the Blue Devils twice last season, and both games followed the same pattern. Maryland surrenders a third-quarter goal and is unable to rally to tie the game. While Sunday’s contest broke that pattern, the result was the same.

Duke started the game off strong with a goal on a penalty corner by freshman forward and midfielder Julia Boehringer. The goal secured a 1-0 lead for the Blue Devils with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter. 

Maryland struggled throughout the game against Duke’s defense, but in the fourth quarter, it finally broke through. The Terps secured two penalty corners, and the second corner ended with freshman midfielder and defender Jordyn Hollamon continuing her impressive early college career with a shot that tied up the game with less than 12 minutes remaining. The goal snapped a 14-quarter goalless drought against Duke.

Nearly seven minutes later, Duke got another penalty corner opportunity. Senior forward Alaina McVeigh won the game for Duke, redirecting a shot from junior midfielder Macy Szukics and past goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko.

Blue Devils senior transfer from Rutgers, Ava Cickavage, made a big difference on the defensive end of this game. At one point, she dove to the ground and reached to block the ball from entering the scoring area.

The defense from both teams remained steadfast as the game continued. The Blue Devils kept Maryland from scoring in the first half, and the Terps held the Devils off from getting a second shot off in the second and third quarters.

The Terps struggled last year against teams ranked in the top 10 of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll, winning three of eight contests. The same remains true of Maryland this season, as it has dropped both games against an opponent within the top 10 rankings.

The Terps will now prepare for the Terrapin Invitational, where they’ll play Pennsylvania on Friday and Saint Joseph’s on Sunday.