No. 5 Maryland field hockey defeats No. 16 Iowa in shootout to begin Big Ten Tournament

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins

Needing the score to extend the shootout for Iowa, Sabrina McGroarty stood at the top of the striking circle. The freshman attempted to take backup goalkeeper Paige Kieft wide right, but Kieft kept her distance while cutting down the angle, forcing a shot wide of the net and sending the Terps’ into a flurry of joy as a pile of red formed in the net.

Backed by three saves from Kieft, No. 5 Maryland (13-5, 7-2 Big Ten) earned its first shootout win of the season, as the Terps edged past No. 16 Iowa (9-9, 2-7 Big Ten) 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Playoffs on Thursday at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.

“Paige has a wonderful type of confidence that’s on the verge of such unique arrogance, and it’s her thing,” head coach Missy Meharg said on Kieft’s performance. “We’re very fortunate that she’s that talented in that situation and so accepting of her role.”

Goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko started the game for the Terps, but Meharg said after the game that Kieft is their shootout goalie, which is why she decided to substitute Klebasko for Keift.

“The emotions were crazy high. I think I experienced every type of emotion there is,” defender Ericka Morris-Adams said. 

Despite the loss, Iowa Mia Magnotta was stellar, tying the record for the second most saves ever in a Big Ten Tournament game with 18. The redshirt junior played her best in the final stretches of the game, coming up with 13 saves between the fourth quarter and the two overtime frames.

Magnotta’s best save came in the first overtime quarter when Rose had a chance to win the game on a breakaway with under ten seconds left, but Magnotta kicked the shot out with her left leg.

“I think she played out of our head,” Meharg said on Magnotta’s performance. 

Iowa entered Thursday’s contest without recording a goal against the Terps in its past three contests. The Hawkeyes hadn’t lost all season once scoring the first goal, and they sought to end their scoring drought with an opening surge in the first quarter. 

The Hawkeyes attacked the Terps’ defenders in swarms in the opening seconds, inducing a shot on goal at the one-minute mark of the first quarter. Klebasko kicked out the shot with her left leg, and from there, the Terps adjusted to Iowa’s tactics.

The Terps played much tighter as a defensive unit, and Maryland’s triage of defenders — Josie Hollamon, Rayne Wright and Morris-Adams — were more aggressive in pressuring Iowa forwards. The Terps also utilized the middle of the field more, getting Maryland’s high-speed midfield players more involved.

“We just played our basics … stick-to-stick hockey, playing it simple,” Morris-Adams said on how the Terps adjusted. “We just found our rhythm. And once we found our rhythm, we knew we had the game in our hand, and we just trusted the process.”

Once the Terps’ midfielders became more active, they started hitting stretch passes through the middle third of the field to its forwards, taking the pressure off Maryland’s defense. The Terps’ offense became evident in the second quarter as they produced four shots on goal and four penalty corners.

Maryland’s best look in the first half came on its final penalty corner with 36 seconds left in the quarter. 

Hope Rose gathered the pass from fellow First Team All-Big Ten player Emma DeBerdine. An Iowa defender clogged Rose’s first look, forcing her to cut right and rip a shot across her body. Rose’s shot was kicked out by the right leg of goalkeeper Magnotta, but the rebound came directly to Hollamon. The Big Ten Defender of the Year whipped a one-time shot back on net but hit Magnotta in the gut.

Maryland’s best offensive quarter during the regular season was the third quarter, scoring 17 of its 43 total goals. While Maryland’s offense continued to produce chances—drawing two penalty corners—it could not finish, as all three shots generated in the third quarter did not make it on net.

The momentum from the third quarter carried into the final quarter as Maryland produced its best penalty corner chance since the end of the second quarter. Rose had taken a majority of the first penalty corner passes, but this time, Hollamon took the pass from DeBerdine. 

Similar to Rose’s chance in the second quarter, Hollamon cut to her right after a shot off the hold wasn’t available. Instead of ripping a shot, Hollamon sent a pass into the middle of the striking circle, looking for a redirection, but the tip went just wide of the right post.

The Terps nearly took the lead again in the fourth quarter when Annemijn Klijnhout lofted a pass to a streaking Maci Bradford behind the Iowa defense with about three minutes left. Bradford couldn’t settle the pass and with a defender on her left hip and Magnotta just a few feet in front of her, Bradford attempted to bat the bouncing ball out of mid-air but sent it wide of the right post.

Maryland will play again in less than 24 hours against the winner of No. 19 Indiana vs. No. 9 Michigan.