Preview: No. 5 Maryland field hockey prepares for two road games against Indiana and Iowa

Photo courtesy of Ashley Ray/Maryland Terrapins

After finishing its four-game homestand, No. 5 Maryland field hockey will travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to begin a three-game road trip across two weekends.

The Terps (5-3, 1-1 Big Ten) have played a grueling schedule with six of their eight games against ranked opponents, including two against opponents ranked inside the top five. Entering the game against No. 2 Northwestern, Maryland struggled against top-five teams, as both losses came against top-five opponents.

That theme continued as a first-quarter goal from Ilse Tromp was all Northwestern needed to defeat Maryland 1-0. The loss marked the third consecutive game Maryland had lost 1-0 to an opponent ranked inside the top five.

“We’re all a little tired of losing 1-0,” coach Missy Meharg said after the Northwestern game. “I think Maryland played a really nice brand of hockey. We just got to figure out that goal line area.”

The Terps shift focus to Indiana (3-5, 0-2 Big Ten) as the Hoosiers mark the first of two road games this weekend.

While Indiana is not ranked, it is not a lull in Maryland’s schedule. The Hoosiers are coming off back-to-back Big Ten games against an opponent inside the top 20 of the NFCHA Poll and kept both games to a one-goal loss.

“They have three women in the middle of the field that sort of rotate, and one becomes a forward, the other two are middies,” Meharg said on how Indiana has kept its games tight against ranked opponents. “They’re very fit, so they can stay mobile and cycle together, (which) caused some defensive confusion for all the teams.”

The other reason for Indiana’s close games comes from the performance of freshman goalkeeper Sadie Canelli. Senior Arabella Loveridge held the starting job at the beginning of the season, but after allowing seven goals in three games, Indiana turned to Canelli.

Canelli has been stellar in net, surrendering five goals over the past five games. She enters Friday’s contest ranked sixth in the Big Ten in goals-against average and fourth in save percentage.

“She’s athletic,” Meharg said of Canelli. “If we can move all laterally, move the ball quick, settle the ball and balance them, we’ll be able to execute some good shots and get good goals on her.”

On offense, the Hoosiers rely heavily on three players to score – Yip van Wonderen, Inés Garcia Prado and Sydney Keld account for 10 of Indiana’s 13 goals.

Van Wonderen leads the group of three with four goals despite playing defense. The senior climbed to the top of the Hoosiers’ goal-scoring list on Sunday after scoring all three of her team’s goals.

When the Terps finish play against Indiana, they’ll take a six-hour bus ride to play No. 10 Iowa (5-3, 0-2 Big Ten).

“Drinking a lot of electrolytes and then stretching on the bus to make sure we stand up [is crucial],” said Josie Hollamon on the recovery process between Indiana and Iowa.

The Hawkeyes’ season so far has been similar to Maryland’s season. Both fared well against teams ranked outside of the top five but have struggled against teams inside that ranking. This could bode well for the Terps as they maintained their No.5 spot despite falling to Northwestern in the prior matchup.

Both offenses also feature the same strength – depth. Both teams have ten or more different goal scorers through the first eight games. But unlike Maryland, Iowa has not had a player record more than one goal in a single game.

Team defense is also a strength of both teams, as neither has allowed double-digit goals and feature goalkeepers inside the top ten in the conference in goals-against average and save percentage.

The Terps will begin their road against Indiana. Meharg’s squad is 10-0 all-time against the Hoosiers and will look to stay undefeated during Friday’s afternoon game.