Preview: No. 2 Maryland field hockey takes break from conference play with matchup against Georgetown

No. 2 Maryland field hockey (12-1) sets its eyes on Georgetown (3-10) as the two are set to face off Tuesday. 

Georgetown projects to be the last unranked opponent Maryland faces this season, with its final four games after the Hoyas against currently-ranked opponents.

The Terps are on a five-game winning streak, with three overtime wins over ranked opponents. They are 7-1 against ranked opponents overall this season, with the lone loss coming in overtime over then-No. 7 Princeton. 

Maryland’s last game against Indiana resulted in a 5-1 victory. 

The Terps started the scoring early, with goals by midfielders Emma DeBerdine and Bibi Donraadt in the first quarter. 

DeBerdine and Donraadt have been key pieces on the Maryland offense, both scoring themselves and dishing to their teammates. DeBerdine and Donraadt both have five goals on the season. Donraadt has six assists and DeBerdine has four.

Maryland continued its scoring in the second quarter, with defender Riley Donnelly and forward Margot Lawn adding a goal for the Terps. Lawn’s score was her first against a Big Ten opponent. Both of Donnelly’s goal have come against a conference foe.

Midfielder Sofia Arrebola Garcia put the Hoosiers on the board with less than a minute left in the first half as the Terps entered halftime leading 4-1. 

Midfielder Nathalie Fiechter extended the Terps lead to 5-1 in the third quarter. The goal was Fiechter’s first of the season, with Donnelly assisting on the score.

“It’s a lot of patience and I thought our backs were exceptional [against Indiana] controlling the game and lighting it up,” coach Missy Meharg said.

Despite top scorer Hope Rose missing her third straight game, eight Terps contributed to Maryland’s scoring output against Indiana. 

“We do have a lot of depth,” Meharg said. “It’s nice when we can get on the board and get a lot of shots.”

Rose leads the team with 10 goals and seven assists. According to a team spokesperson, Rose has a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. 

Maryland has the top offense in the Big Ten, scoring 3.846 goals per game, the most in the conference. Maryland has also attempted 102 penalty corners, the most in the conference as well. 

The Maryland defense has contained offenses thus far, holding its opponents to 1.31 goals per game. Maryland’s average win margin of 1.93 goals is the best in the Big Ten.

“Our defenders are like world class,” DeBerdine said. “It’s stepping up and intercepting the ball and they really showed that [against Indiana] and they did a great job of not even letting the ball in the circle.”

Georgetown enters Tuesday’s match in the midst of a seven game losing streak. Georgetown has lost both its games this season against ranked opponents, including a 2-0 loss in its last game against then-No. 12 Old Dominion. 

Georgetown was outshot 29:5 in the match. None of the Hoyas’ shots registered on goal.

Forward Vivienne Trumpbour is the Hoyas top scorer. Trumpbour has registered four goals and four assists for the Hoyas in thirteen games.

Georgetown musters an average of just 1.38 goals per game, averaging 9.5 shots a game. 

Defensively, Georgetown allows an average of three goals per game off of 16.5 shots per game. Starting goalkeeper Ciara Weets has registered 98 saves on the season, facing 211 shots. 

Georgetown is led by head coach Christy Longacre. Longacre is in her fifth season at the head of the program, having led the Hoyas to a 10-8 record in 2021, the program’s best ever. 

The game on Tuesday will start at 4 p.m. and will take place at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park.