No. 7 Maryland Field Hockey shuts out Saint Joseph’s 5-0 in their Sunday contest

Photo by Hana Kaufman/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

Riding the high of their currently undefeated season, No. 7 Maryland Field Hockey won 5-0 against the Saint Joseph’s Hawks in their noontime matchup on Sunday, Sept. 13th.  

Not wasting any time, the Terps’ first goal came two and a half minutes into the first quarter. Babs van Hest scored from the left side of the shooting circle after a quick steal and transition from Maryland’s defense. Van Hest stood out early as a leading force for the Terrapins’ offense with her speed and agile attacks through the middle. 

Other than Van Hest’s goal, however, the beginning of the first quarter was mostly a balanced bout between the Hawks and the Terps. Although the Terps had four shots on net to Saint Joseph’s one, both teams played a physical and offensive first quarter, with defenders often sending long passes to the front line. 

As the quarter concluded and the game moved into the second, the Terps evidently gained control. Lily Dewan for Saint Joseph’s had one dangerous shot on net in the second quarter, putting pressure on Maryland’s defense.

Yet, the Terrapins did not back down, as Francsica Eschoyez made it 2-0 on a penalty corner with under five minutes to go in the half. 

A steal from Erika Culp that nearly ended in a goal put even more pressure on Saint Joseph’s defense as the half came to a close. 

Between Maryland’s relentless offense and College Park’s relentless humidity, it seemed as if the Hawks might go away. 

Despite the Hawks sprinting out on the first play of the new half, the Terrapins’ stars of the day would not disappear. Within a minute, Van Hest and Eschoyez scored both their second goals of the game. 

Eschoyez’s score came from a penalty stroke, while Van Hest’s was crossed in and assisted by freshman midfielder Aida Ierubino. 

Nonetheless, Maryland’s defense and goalkeeper shone just as much amidst the Terps’ offensive success. 

Alyssa Keblasko, the starting goalkeeper who did not play in Friday’s contest against Towson, came ready to support the back line for the Terrapins with an impressive third-quarter body save that was cleared by nearby defenders. 

After her earlier assist to Van Hest, Aida Ierubino scored at the 11:21 mark in the fourth quarter to make it 5-0. The Terrapins reached double-digit corners and continued to apply pressure to the Hawks’ defense, but the match ended without another score. 

In the end, goalie Avianna Wagner and back Milou Kluyt held down the Hawks’ defense. Despite Wagner’s five goals allowed, she ended with 17 saves, including a few sliding, top-corner, and kick saves to knock out dangerous shots from the Terps. 

Kluyt led the Hawks’ defensive effort, playing the full 60 minutes and forcing turnovers that led to scoring opportunities. 

Sophomore defender Erin Callahan, who caused many deflections and led the Terps to another shutout, credits the zero goals to the bond throughout the entire team, specifically the defense. 

When asked how the team held Saint Joseph’s to only one shot in the second half, Callahan said it’s a result of “the fight that each of us has for each other.”

The Terrapins advance to 6-0 in preparation for their first conference game at Penn State on Thursday, while the Hawks fall to 2-4 before heading south to face Saint Louis.