Preview: No. 2 Maryland field hockey wraps up regular season against No. 13 UConn

No. 2 Maryland field hockey (15-2) looks to finish the regular season strong Sunday against No. 13 UConn (11-5).

Maryland enters off a rebound win over No. 5 Virginia after falling in its previous game to No. 3 Penn State.

Against the Nittany Lions, the Terps opened aggressively, as midfielder Dani van Rootselaar scored the first goal of the game less than four minutes in.

The Brown graduate transfer is tied for first on the team with eleven goals. 

Maryland’s other graduate transfer, midfielder/forward Leah Crouse, leads the team in game-winning goals this season (five). Crouse has chipped in four more goals as well.

After the van Rotselaar goal, the Nittany Lions scored five unanswered goals, winning the game handily, 5-1. 

The Terps were more fortunate against Virginia, as defender Riley Donnelly scored the first goal of the game in the first quarter and the Terps never lost their lead, winning 2-1. 

After missing the first two games of the season due to injury, Donnelly has scored six goals and registered four assists for the Terps.

In the second quarter, forward Hope Rose delivered the highlight play of the bout. After miscommunication by the Cavaliers on a penalty corner insertion, the Terps opened up on a fast break. Belle Bressler delivered a cross-field pass to Rose, who fired a diving shot into the goal, capping off the picture perfect play.

The goal was Rose’s 11th of the season and first since returning from injury. Rose missed the five previous games before Penn State with a lower-body injury. The 2021 Big Ten Freshman of the Year was tied for second in goals in the Big Ten at the time of her injury.

“She definitely brings a lot of energy, a lot of speed on the floor,” Donnelly said. “She’s just like a crafty and skilled attacker so it’s great to have her back out there.”

Midfielder Bibi Donraadt has also contributed offensively for the Terps, delivering nine goals and 11 assists for the squad. 

Christina Calandra is expected to start in goal Sunday. Calandra made her return to the starting lineup against Virginia after being benched following the first five games in favor of freshman Paige Kieft. 

“UVA was a great opponent and great opponents always bring out things and growth areas that we need to work on,” Calandra said. 

Calandra has allowed 0.73 goals per game with a 70.6% save percentage on the season. Against the Cavaliers, Calandra registered four saves, allowing no shots past her.

The Maryland offense has been the strong suit for the squad. The Terps’ four goals per game average the most in the Big Ten. 

Maryland’s average win margin of 2.53 goals also is the most in the conference. 

UConn enters following a tough defeat its last time out against Temple.

Temple entered the fourth quarter leading 3-0, but UConn fought back in the fourth. Sadly, the Huskies’ comeback attempt wasn’t enough.

Midfielder Jasmijn Damman put the Huskies on the board with five minutes left in the fourth, and then with less than a minute remaining in the game, back Claire Jandewerth brought the game within one for the Huskies with her third goal of the season.

The Huskies couldn’t score again falling 3-2 to the Owls.

Forward Julia Bressler is the leading scorer for UConn, as she has registered seven goals and an assist for her squad. Bressler is the younger sister of senior Maryland midfielder Belle Bressler.

Cheyenne Sprecher starts in the cage for UConn. Sprecher has recorded 70 saves on the season and allows an average of 1.31 goals per game. The graduate student has also pitched five shutouts this season. 

Offensively, the Huskies average 2.13 goals per game in conference play, the fifth most in the Big East.

UCONN is led by head coach Paul Caddy, who is in his third season at the helm of the program. Caddy led the Huskies to a 12-2 record in the 2020-21 season before the Huskies dropped to 11-11 the following year.

After UConn, the Terps will look to go on a run in the Big Ten Tournament prior to the NCAA Tournament.  

“You will always want to play the best to be the best,” coach Missy Meharg said.

The game on Sunday will start at 1 p.m. and will take place at the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex in Storrs.