Preview: No. 2-seed Maryland field hockey prepares for opening round matchup against No. 7-seed Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament

No. 2 Maryland field hockey faces No. 20 Ohio State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, looking to advance to the semifinals.

Maryland and Penn State both finished 7-1 in conference play, but the Nittany Lions’ 5-1 drumming over the Terps just three matches ago gave them the tiebreaker, the No. 1-seed in the tournament, and the bye.

Because of the loss to Penn State, Maryland is the No. 2-seed in the tournament, and the Terps will take on the lowest seed in round one, No. 7-seed Ohio State.

The Terps previously defeated the Buckeyes 4-2 earlier this season.

Maryland opened the scoring early when midfielder Dani van Rootselaar fired a penalty corner shot past Ohio State goalkeeper Abby Danson to put the Terps ahead 1-0.

Van Rootselaar registered 11 goals and three assists for the Terps in the regular season after transferring from Brown for her fifth season. 

Danson recorded an 80% save percentage in the regular season for the Buckeyes, the highest in the Big Ten. The junior goalkeeper has notched 72 saves and is allowing only 1.02 goals per game.

The Buckeyes answered back quickly to van Rootselaar’s goal when midfielder Hallie Brost beat goalkeeper Paige Kieft one-on-one on a breakaway goal. 

Kieft started the game in goal for the Terps — her second straight game after replacing senior Christina Calandra. Calandra started the first five games for Maryland. 

After Maryland’s loss to Penn State, Calandra returned as starter.

Calandra has allowed just one goal in her two starts back in the lineup, resulting in wins over ranked opponents in both games. On the season, Calandra has allowed only 0.73 goals against while recording a 73.9% save percentage. 

The Buckeyes took an early 2-1 lead in the third quarter when forward Sarah Charley’s penalty corner shot deflected off a Maryland defender’s foot into the goal.

Charley leads the Buckeyes in scoring with 11 goals, tied with van Rootselaar for fourth-most in the Big Ten.

“We didn’t have a good showing out there when we played prior,” coach Missy Meharg said. “That was the first Big 10 game and we were playing poorly.”

Forward Hope Rose tied the score in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, and just over a minute later, midfielder/forward Leah Crouse gave the Terps the lead with a tap-in goal. 

Despite missing five games, Rose was the leading goalscorer in the regular season for the Terps (12). Rose also added eight assists.

“Those four weeks were long being on the sidelines,” Rose said. “But now being back in the flow of everything feels great.”

Crouse — the Duke graduate transfer — recorded nine goals and four assists for Maryland in the regular season, including five game winning goals.

Van Rootselaar extended Maryland’s lead with less than five minutes left with an empty net goal, the final blow to Ohio State.

Maryland enters the Big Ten Tournament with the best offense in the conference. The Terps’ 3.889 goals per game average is the most in the Big Ten, and they’re winning their games by an average margin of 2.45 goals.

In contrast, Ohio State boasts one of the best defenses in the conference. The Buckeyes’ 1.11 average goals per game allowed is the fewest in the Big Ten. Ohio State’s average win margin is 1.56 goals — nearly a full goal below Maryland’s.

Maryland performed much better in conference action than Ohio State. The Terps went 7-1 in Big Ten play during the regular season, while the Buckeyes went 3-5.

The bout will essentially be a home game for the Buckeyes, as the Big Ten Tournament is being hosted in Columbus this year. The Buckeyes went 6-3 at home in the regular season.

“You[‘ve] got to put the pedal down,” Meharg said. “You[‘ve] got to make a statement it’s a privilege to be Maryland and you have to make a statement every second on the field.”

All-time, Maryland has yet to lose to Ohio State. The Terps are 16-0 against the Buckeyes, including 3-0 in postseason play. The last postseason match between the two squads came in 2018, when Maryland defeated Ohio State 9-1 in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

If the Terps win and advance to the second round, they will face the winner of the Northwestern-Rutgers game Friday at 4 p.m.