Preview: No. 2 Maryland field hockey gears up for tough test against No. 5 Penn State

No. 2 Maryland field hockey (14-1, 7-0) looks to finish the season undefeated in conference play when the Terps take on No. 5 Penn State (13-2, 5-1) Friday.

The Nittany Lions will be the final Big Ten opponent for the Terps this season, with battles against No. 7 Virginia and No. 11 UConn on the horizon to end their regular season.

“They’re a great team, they’re athletic there,” coach Missy Meharg said. “They’ve got great players and great positions. Their goaltending is strong. They’ve got a lot of energy coming into their schedule. They’ve just come off some big wins.”

Maryland is coming off a 4-3 victory over No. 19 Rutgers, which clinched the Big Ten regular-season championship for the Terps. 

Despite outshooting the Scarlet Knights 7:2, the Terps entered halftime down 1-0. 

Forward Margot Lawn tied the game nine minutes into the second half, sneaking a shot past Rutgers goalkeeper Sarah Howard’s left leg. The goal was Lawn’s fifth of the season.

Midfielder/forward Leah Crouse then put the Terps ahead 2-1 minutes into the fourth quarter. 

Leading 2-1 with five minutes left, midfielder Bibi Donraadt scored her ninth goal of the season to extend the Maryland lead to two. That would be the first of four goals in the final five minutes of the match. 

The Scarlet Knights quickly tied the score with less than two minutes remaining after two quick goals from Indy van Ek and Guillermina Causarano. 

With 41 seconds left, Crouse scored her second goal of the game to give the Terps the 4-3 lead and win. 

Crouse has nine goals on the season, adding four assists as well. 

The Maryland offense has been its strong suit this season, averaging 4.3 goals per game, the most in the Big Ten. Maryland has won by a margin of three goals per game, also the most in the Big Ten. 

Forward Hope Rose and midfielder Dani van Rootselaar lead the Terps in goals, both with 10. Rose also has seven assists on the season, but has missed the past five games for Maryland with a lower body injury. 

Midfielder Emma DeBerdine has also contributed offensively for the Terps, adding five goals and four assists.

Maryland goalkeeper Paige Kieft has been productive in the cage, registering an 8-1 record in her 10 games started for the Terps, recording 20 saves on 64 shots faced. 

Penn State enters 5-1 in conference play, including wins over No. 6 Michigan and No. 8 Iowa. 

The Nittany Lions are on a five-game winning streak, with their last being a 3-0 victory over Kent State.

“I think as a team we’re hyped for every game but this game I think we’re especially hype but we know we got to do,” defender Ericka Morris-Adams said. “We’ve been working hard in training and we’re ready for Friday.”

Morris-Adams won Big Ten Freshman of the Week for her performance against Rutgers. The honor was the second of the year for the freshman from Cheshire, England.

Penn State scores an average of 3.067 goals per game, the third-most in the Big Ten, and have won their games by a margin of 1.94 goals, also the third-most in the Big Ten. 

Forward Sophia Gladieux is the Nittany Lions leading scorer, registering 18 goals and two assists. Gladieux’s 18 goals ranks second in the Big Ten.  

Midfielder Mackenzie Allessie has recorded 10 goals and 12 assists for the Nittany Lions, acting as the team’s second highest scorer. 

Goalkeeper Brie Barraco has played outstanding in the cage for Penn State, recording 59 saves for a 77.6% save percentage, the second-highest in the Big Ten.

“I think we have to give each other a lot of space,” Meharg said. “When we kind of are on top of each other with leads, it just doesn’t lend to the shot selection. So we need to move out of space and we need to do a lot of scoring without back swings.”

Penn State is led by head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss in her 36th season at the helm of the program. While at Penn State, Morett-Curtiss has compiled a 524-219-9 record en route to two National Championship appearances and the most Big Ten Tournament Titles. 

The game on Friday will start at 6 p.m. and will take place in University Park.