Weekend preview: No. 10 Maryland field hockey vs No. 16 Michigan and No. 9 Ohio State

No. 10 Maryland field hockey (10-3, 2-1 Big Ten) gets set for a pair of big tests on the road this weekend. It’ll face No. 16 Michigan (6-6, 1-4 Big Ten) on Friday and No. 9 Ohio State (12-3, 4-2 Big Ten) on Sunday.

The Terps secured two wins last weekend, defeating Michigan State 3-0 and American 2-1. Margot Lawn led the way against the Spartans with a pair of goals in a dominant performance.

“It was about finding the pockets and the seams and getting those shots off quickly,” Lawn said. “That’s what we really focused on.”

Maryland found itself in a 1-1 tie against the Eagles before a Sammy Popper goal broke the tie for the permanent lead.

The contests extended the Terps’ first-quarter scoring streak to five-straight games. They’ve gone 4-1 during the stretch and have scored first in 11 of their first 13 games.

Maryland’s offense has spread the wealth well so far this year, as nine players have scored goals thus far. Three of its top goal scorers have been part of an instrumental freshman class. Cousins Josie Hollamon and Maci Bradford have led the way for the newcomers.

Hollamon has become a fixture of the Terps’ penalty corner attack. Since her first goal — an overtime game winner against Boston College — Hollamon is fourth on the team in goals (4) and points (10).

Braford has established herself as a possible successor to Hope Rose as Maryland’s next star player. The forward is second on the team in goals (6) and third of any Terp in points (16).

Michigan will need its offense to find its rhythm early to counter some of Maryland’s offense. The Wolverines have only scored three goals in their last four outings, including a pair of shutout losses. 

Michigan’s most recent game was a 2-1 defeat to Rutgers. It’s lone score came from Isabella Palde, her third goal of the season. That moved her into a tie with Alana Richardson for second on the team in goals, behind Kelsey Reviello’s five.

The Wolverines came into the year after losing their entire midfield, just like the Terps. The result has been high quality play from their freshmen between Riviello and Juliette Manzur.

“They clearly have the talent and they’ve got the depth to be able to be a really good hockey team,” coach Missy Meharg said.

With their offense averaging over 2.8 goals per game — third in the Big Ten — the Terps have a strong foundation on that end heading into the weekend. But so does their Sunday opponent in the Buckeyes, as they average over 3.2 goals per game, good for second-best in the conference.

Ohio State flexed its offensive muscle in its last contest, a 3-0 victory over Kent State. The game saw Julie Rodijk score twice, with Makenna Webster assisting both times, to power the victory.

Webster and Rodijk are arguably the two most important components to the Buckeyes’ offense. Webster is first on the team in goals (15) and points (38), with Rodijk being tied for second in goals (8) and points (18) alongside Brenna Bough.

Maryland goalkeepers Alyssa Klebasko and Paige Kieft will have their hands full against one of the more talented units in the Big Ten, although the duo has fared well this season, holding opponents to under 1.1 goals per game.

Both Ohio State and Michigan are worse than the Terps in that category, a good sign for Maryland to secure wins in each contest.

“Right now we’re playing really good hockey,” Meharg said. “Every day we’ve been coming out and just talking about just getting better.”