No. 2 Maryland field hockey’s calling card all season has been its defense.
On Friday against Rutgers, the Terps played without junior Ella Fehr, who had started all eight prior games. However, it didn’t seem like Fehr’s absence fazed Maryland. Behind the leadership of defenders Josie Hollamon, Feliz Kuhne and Erin Callahan coupled with another strong performance from goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko, the Terps shut out the Scarlet Knights, 3-0, to win their ninth consecutive game to start the season.
“It’s
really just our mentality,” said Klebasko about the defense. “We have the mentality that we’re not going to let them in our circle, and we’re not going to let them take good shots.”
Maryland, off to its best start since 2018, has yet to concede a goal across its last 145 minutes. It has only conceded four goals this season, which is the fewest since 2003.
In Fehr’s absence, the Terps turned to Ella Beach – typically a midfielder – and Rachael Whitehead, both of whom held up defensively.
“Ella Beach is really first class and understands tactics, whether she’s in the front part of that mid-bit or in the back part,” said head coach Missy Meharg.
The shutout was also the 20th of Klebasko’s career, lowering her 2026 goals-against average to a stellar 0.44 in the process.
Maryland controlled the start of Friday’s fracas, owning the time-of-possession battle and creating significantly more chances. It looked like the Terps netted the opening goal in the 14th minute, but the shot off the penalty corner didn’t hit the cage’s backboard, disqualifying the tally.
Outside of a two-minute offensive burst from the Scarlet Knights to start the second quarter, it was smooth sailing in the first half for the Terps’ defense. Maryland didn’t skip a beat without Fehr. In the opening 30 minutes, the Terps’ defense surrendered just three shots.
Maryland didn’t generate as much offense in the second quarter, but that didn’t matter, as it broke the scoreless deadlock halfway through the period. Aida Ierubino intercepted a Rutgers pass and rushed into the shooting circle. While her shot was blocked, Djuna Eikelboom’s quick follow-up hit beat Rutgers netminder Emily Nicholls to open the scoring.
After halftime, Maryland had the first major opportunity when Rutgers defender Olivia Beattie was whistled for a yellow card in the 36th minute. Two penalty corners ensued, but the Scarlet Knights’ defense stood tall. Rutgers eventually killed off the rest of the five-minute penalty without any more trouble and kept the deficit at one.
For a while, the third quarter was similar to the first. Maryland spent a lot of time with the ball – including five minutes with a player advantage thanks to a Rutgers yellow card – and created chances but failed to capitalize. That was until the 45th minute, when Francisca Eschoyez slotted the ball just past Nicholls on a penalty corner to double the lead.
“I’ve been working on it so much, almost two years,” said Eschoyez. “Last year, I only scored one goal with it, and it’s just working now… because of so much practice.”
It was much the same in the fourth, as Maryland remained in full control. In the 54th minute, Eikelboom added insurance with a tap-in goal off a rebound to make it 3-0, clinching her first career two-goal performance.
“Djuna’s very talented, very technical and she’s going to find the net,” said Meharg. “Djuna actually had to come back a little slow during preseason camp… so she’s just starting to get into form now, in terms of work rate and energy, and she’s always going to be very dangerous around the goal cage.”
Three things to know:
- The more the merrier. With Eikelboom’s goal, 12 Terps have now found the back of the net in 2026.
- One of the best in the net. Klebasko’s 20th career shutout ties her for fifth all-time in program history with Kathryn Masson, who played from 2004 to 2007.
- Big game up next. Maryland will make the journey to the Garden State for a battle with No. 8 Princeton, looking to hit double-digit wins on the season. That game will be Maryland’s first true road game against a ranked opponent.
“We’re thrilled with 9-0, but we’re not done, we’re still hungry,” said Klebasko. “We celebrate our wins, but then the next day we’re looking forward to the next [game]. Every time we step on this field, we give it our all, and we’re going to play the best hockey.”
