Preview: No. 4 Maryland field hockey prepares for top-five clash against No. 3 Iowa

No. 4 Maryland field hockey (9-1) begins its conference weekend road trip against No. 3 Iowa (8-1) Friday.

“Iowa is very strong defensively, they take their time,” coach Missy Meharg said. “They have the best paces of the game. They’ll play really slow and they need to play slow and very, very tactical.”

After dropping their first game last Tuesday against then-No. 9 Princeton, the Terps dropped one spot in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division One Coaches Poll. 

“Nobody likes losing when you’re this competitive. It’s hard,” defender Riley Donnelly said. “So to drop the game was definitely disappointing, but we learned a lot from that.”

The Terps followed up the loss with home victories over No. 8 Michigan and Michigan State. Maryland is currently tied with No. 6 Penn State for first place in the Big Ten, with both teams undefeated in conference play. 

Against Michigan, the game was scoreless headed into overtime. The Terps received the first penalty corner of overtime 3:39 into the period and took advantage of it. Leah Crouse picked up the rebound off a missed shot and rocketed a shot into the goal, lifting the Terps against the Wolverines. 

Crouse is second on the team and sixth in the conference with seven goals. Crouse is tied for second on the Terps in assists (three).

Against Michigan State, the Terps had a bit more breathing room. Following a strong three-goal first period, Maryland kept its foot on the gas in the second half, growing its lead to seven at one point. Maryland finished with a five-goal win, 7-2.

“Michigan State was not to the level of our team just from player to player to depth,” Meharg said. “But we felt we played very good hockey and I think that’s the first thing you need to focus on … if you step back for a second you’re gonna get scored on.”

Six different Terps scored against Michigan State, with forward Hope Rose leading the way. Rose scored two goals, reaching the double-digit mark this season. Rose leads the Terps in goals (10) and assists (seven). Rose’s ten goals is tied for second in the Big Ten, and she also ranks second in the Big Ten in total points (27).

Maryland’s offense has been the strong suit of the team. The Terps’ 4.1 points per game is the most in the Big Ten, and are winning by a margin of 2.7 goals, the second-most in the conference. Maryland also ranks second in shots (204) and third in penalty corners (72). 

Defensively, the Terps have allowed 1.4 goals per game, fourth-best in the Big Ten.

After senior Christina Calandra started as goalkeeper for the first five games of the season, sophomore Paige Kieft has taken over the role for the past games. Kieft has allowed 1.73 goals per game, registering 15 on the year.

Iowa enters the game after defeating then-No. 1 Northwestern, jumping two spots in the rankings this week.

“We’re going to have a little bit of a harder time when we’re playing bigger teams, but I think that brings the best hockey out of us,” defender Muara Verleg said.

Against Northwestern, forward Alex Wesneski scored both goals in the win. Wesneski enters as the leading scorer for the Hawkeyes with 10 goals. Wesneski’s 10 goals is tied with Rose for second in the Big Ten. 

Following the win against Northwestern, the Hawkeyes defeated Ball State 6-1 on Sunday. Four different Hawkeyes scored in the match, with Anthe Nijziel and Esme Gibson leading the charge with two goals each.

Gibson ranks fourth on the team with 10 points, and her four assists is tied for third. Nijziel enters third on the team in goals (five). 

The Hawkeyes are second in the Big Ten in scoring. The Hawkeyes enter averaging 3.556 goals per game. Iowa’s 2.78 goal winning margin is the best in the conference.

Iowa has allowed only 0.78 goals per game, the least in the conference. Goalkeeper Grace McGuire has starred, as her .806 save percentage ranks second in the Big Ten.

All time, the Terps are 11-3 against Iowa. The last meeting between the teams resulted in a 2-1 Iowa win in October 2021.

The game on Friday will start at 5 p.m. and will take place at Grant Field in Iowa City.