No. 5 Maryland field hockey shutout by No. 2 Northwestern

Photo courtesy of Rose Fernandes/ Maryland Athletics

Down by one with four minutes remaining, No. 5 Maryland pulled goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko to go up an extra attacker. The Terps were unsuccessful in their prior two games when they pulled the goalkeeper against a top-five opponent, and they could not record the tying goal against No. 2 Northwestern (9-0, 3-0 Big Ten).

Instead, the Wildcats drew a penalty corner with 20 seconds left, and while Ericka Morris-Adams blocked the shot, it proved to be the best chance for either team in the final minutes.

Maryland (5-3, 1-1) drops to 0-3 on the seasons against top-five ranked opponents, falling 1-0 to Northwestern at Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex on Friday night. The loss is also the third time Maryland has suffered a shutout against a top-five ranked opponent.

“We’re all a little tired of losing 1-0,” coach Missy Meharg said. “I think Maryland played a really nice brand of hockey. We just got to figure out that goal line area.”

Similar to Maryland’s prior Big Ten matchup, the Terps had a sluggish start to the opening quarter. Northwestern smothered them in the neutral zones, causing numerous turnovers. Even with the return of Rayne Wright — who missed her first collegiate game against Rutgers — the Wildcats hemmed the Terps in their defensive third for most of the first quarter.

With all the sustained pressure, Northwestern drew three penalty corners, and after a pair of saves by Klebasko, the Wildcats finally broke through.

Ilse Tromp was denied by a diving Klebasko on the Wildcat’s first penalty corner, but she did not miss their third, rifling a shot into the lower right corner. 

Tromp was one of many veterans on Northwestern as it returned 19 players from last year’s team. As a freshman, Tromp tallied 11 goals in 20 games and has played an instrumental role in an inconsistent Northwestern offense as she was the only player to record a shot on goal.

The Wildcats entered the game with the second-lowest shooting percentage in the Big Ten despite being the highest-rated team. Northwestern’s goal-scoring had been sporadic, recording five goals against then No. 4 ranked Iowa, but the following week scored just once against unranked Indiana.

But Tromp’s fourth goal of the season allowed Northwestern to gain the early lead and allow their offense to ease into the game. The Wildcats struggled in the second quarter but dominated the second half, drawing 11 penalty corners and generating a plethora of quality chances.

Maryland’s defensive penalty corner unit kept the game within reach, allowing Northwestern to convert just once on penalty corners as the Terps routinely clogged the Wildcat’s shooting lane.

“Our defensive penalty corner (was) very strong,” Mehard said. “I think we could do a better job of double-teaming players that are dribbling outside the circle edge in that area called the arc … [and I] think we can double-team there with a little more urgency, sooner.”

When the defense did falter, Klebasko was usually there to come up with a save. The 2023 second-team All-Big Ten goalkeeper produced four saves, including many diving saves. While Klebasko’s athletic ability shined, her technique didn’t falter, often directing shots into the corners despite needing to lunge.

In the second quarter, Maryland’s offense dominated, drawing four penalty corners and producing four shots. Meharg talked about needing to move goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz to beat her and that is exactly what the Terps did on their third penalty corner.

Emma DeBerdine centered a pass for Morris-Adams, who set the shot for Hope Rose. Instead of shooting, Rose dished a pass back to DeBerdine at the left post, putting a quick shot on net but was denied by the sprawling stick of Skubisz.

“There were times that I think we were able to really snap a two pass across, but that girl’s got to pick it up and drive in hard and get some assist opportunities,” Meharg said on whether the Terps got Skubisz moving enough in the net. “I’m not sure we did that as well as we can, and as I’ve said … [the attacking third] is going to be our continued work in progress.”

Skubisz entered Friday’s game with a near-perfect season, leading the nation with a .971 save percentage and a 0.13 goals-against average. 

The graduate student had recorded seven shutouts through her team’s first eight games and has not allowed a goal since Sept. 1 against UMass. Since that game, Skubinsz has recorded six consecutive shutouts, and that shutout streak continued as she was forced to make just four saves in the victory against the Terps.

Maryland will now begin a three-game road trip starting next week when it travels to Bloomington, Indiana, on Friday.