Preview: No. 5 Maryland field hockey vs. No. 6 Virginia

No. 5 Maryland field hockey (6-2) hits the road on Monday for its first top-ten matchup this season, taking on No. 6 Virginia (5-2).

The​​​ Terps enter on a sour note as they were stunned by Princeton on Thursday in the final contest of their five-game homestretch.

Both Maryland and Princeton were held scoreless in the first quarter, but the Tigers went on the attack in the next frame as they capitalized on a penalty stroke to take a 1-0 lead. They doubled their lead just over two minutes later on rebound off a penalty corner.

Freshman Maci Bradford clawed the Terps back in as she scored on a diving attempt in the closing seconds of the half and then followed that up with another goal just under four minutes into the third quarter to tie the game at two. But a Princeton penalty corner goal with just 34 seconds left with the game deadlocked buried Maryland and gave the Tigers the victory.

The loss was the Terps’ first against a non-ranked opponent this year.

“The last time I played the final four was the third week in November,” coach Missy Meharg said when talking about her mentality. “So I’m gonna be really positive.”

Maryland’s offensive attack has struggled to find the same potency as last season, as the unit is averaging only 3.00 goals per game compared to 2022’s 3.57. The consistent force has been junior Hope Rose. She leads the Terps with nine goals and 19 points.

Bradford has made an early impact for the Terps in her first collegiate campaign, ranking second on the team in goals (four) and points (12). 

The combination of Alyssa Klebasko and Paige Kieft collecting Maryland’s cage has made up for its weakened offense. The duo has held opponents to an average of just one goal per game.

Like the Terps, Virginia enters having fallen its last time out. The Cavaliers suffered a close 2-1 defeat to No. 14 Boston College last Friday.

Boston College got the party started as it opened the scoring in the closing seconds of the first quarter. Virginia struck back to make it a 1-1 game as junior Taryn Tkachuk scored early in the second frame, and the contest remained tied until the Eagles scored with under three minutes left in the final quarter to secure the win.

The Terps will be the Cavaliers’ sixth ranked opponent of the season. They are 3-2 so far, including a 2-1 win over then-No. 5 Penn State in their season-opener. 

Virginia has outshot its opponents 81-58 on the year, with sophomore midfielder Daniela Mendez-Trendler leading the team in goals (four) and points (12). The Cavaliers’ offense is deep beyond Mendez-Trendler, as four other players have registered five or more points thus far.

Maryland holds a 45-22-2 all-time record over Virginia, with the last battle being a 2-0 shutout win for the Terps in 2022.

“I’m proud of our woman for the response that we had in terms of the second, third, and fourth quarter,” Meharg said after Maryland’s recent loss. “We’ll stay focused on shot selection and get ready for Virginia on Monday.”

The game is set for a 7 p.m. start in Charlottesville.