No. 10 Maryland field hockey’s fourth quarter opened with a wide open shot that landed on the outside wall of No. 13 Saint Joseph’s goal. After no success completing to the net, midfielder Maia Adamson found an open, yet small window to possibly score what could’ve been the only score of the game.
Maci Bradford followed suit, earning what was expected to be another penalty corner opportunity. After it was overturned on video review, gameplay carried on, with two offensive powerhouses clashing sticks.
With 41 seconds left in the final frame, Maryland lined up at the shooting circle, earning only their third penalty corner of the game. Bradford inserted, passed the ball to Josie Hollamon, who lined up the ball right at the top of the arc, setting up the shot for forward Ella Gaitan.
With one fell swoop, Gaitan sent the ball right to the center of the net, sealing the victory for Maryland, 1-0.
“You play for moments like that, It’s a really good feeling,” Gaitan said. “The work that we’ve been doing is coming to fruition.”
Maryland opened Sunday’s game with a tactical offensive possession, driving down the field almost instantly towards the Hawks’ shooting circle to set the tone.
Maryland got much closer to the net during the second quarter, attempting the first shot on goal of the game. Midfielder Annemijn Klijnhout got a clear look and launched an aerial ball right to the top-center of the net that bounced off Hawks’ goalkeeper Paige Kieft’s chest pads.
The St. Joseph’s goalie played alongside the Terps just last year, graduating from the program in May.
“Paige is a very good goalie,” Meharg said. “I know what Paige can do.”
The Hawks attempted the same on their next possession, but the attempt was met with a confident slide from Terps goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko.
Neither team earned a penalty corner until the last minute of the second quarter, when one was awarded to Maryland. Bradford took her place at the baseline, sliding the ball across the shooting circle to midfielder Ella Fehr. The midfielder was met with a wall of Hawks defenders, and her shot attempt was knocked away.
The third quarter saw more of the same, with each team breaking through their opponent’s midfield barrier, only to be met with a defense lined up like a brick wall.
“Their speed in the midfield was perhaps a little bit more than ours, and I thought we handled that really well,” Meharg said.
With just over two minutes remaining in the third, the Terps needed to lock down a penalty corner for the first and only time. After a fake-out attempt from Saint Joseph’s, the Hawks managed to sneak around Maryland’s defense, but with a wide-right shot attempt, they, too, weren’t able to score.
Maryland forced two turnovers from the Hawks in the fourth quarter. Without a clear look on goal and the Hawks on their tail, the Terps were unable to capitalize on their possession and score, leaving the game hanging in the balance until late.
The Hawks had no time to answer Gaitan’s last-minute score, sealing Sunday’s shutout victory — the Terps’ first win over a ranked opponent this season.
With eight ranked match-ups on the horizon, including a faceoff against Penn State on Friday, Meharg plans on taking Sunday’s lessons into the week to prepare for conference play. However she isn’t letting this important victory pass her by.
“I don’t think ahead yet,” Meharg said. “The biggest thing in sports is [that] the athletes and the coaches can just take time to celebrate.”
Three things to know
1. Shutout quarter streak. Maryland now hasn’t given up a score in six frames. The Terps only allowed one goal in last Friday’s game against Penn.
2. Gaitan stays clutch. With her goal on Sunday, Gaitan has now logged two game-winners for the season, tied with Bradford for most goals and game-winners in 2025.
3. Perfection preserved. Sunday’s win was the Terps sixth win in six all-time games against Saint Joseph’s, and their first shutout against the Hawks since 2019.
