For nearly 40 minutes, No. 2 Maryland field hockey and No. 19 Michigan were in a scoreless deadlock. The Terps placed relentless pressure on the Wolverines’ defense but failed to finish early chances.
However, the dam broke just past the halfway point of the third quarter. It started when Francisca Eschoyez walked the goal-line tightrope and squeezed a pass to Maia Adamson, who tapped it home for her first tally of the season.
Not even a minute later, Maci Bradford found herself ahead of the pack and
used a backhanded shot to beat Michigan goalie Hala Silverstein to make it 2-0.
This was only half of the third-quarter scoring, as the Terps buried two more before the buzzer sounded to put the game out of reach. Michigan fought hard in the fourth quarter, but it was nowhere close to enough, as Maryland marched to a 12-0 record with a 5-2 victory.
The signs of an offensive outburst were apparent early, as both netminders were challenged with penalty corners in the opening minutes. Michigan had the first chance, when Eva Bernardy lasered a shot on net, but Alyssa Klebasko made a big-time stop. On the other end, Feliz Kuhne smacked a shot of her own, but Silverstein was up to the task.
After the electric opening, neither team took a shot for the rest of the quarter, as both defenses locked down the shooting circle. It was track-meet pace in Ann Arbor, as players flew up and down the field hoping to break out on transition opportunities. The tempo favored the Terps, but it took some time before they cashed in.
The second quarter was much of the same, as lots of fast-paced action yielded limited results. Maryland decisively won the time-of-possession battle but failed to make it count, as the Terps attempted just three shots in the quarter.
Michigan struggled to generate any kind of offense in the second frame. The Wolverines tried to match the Terps’ tempo but had issues doing so, as a bunch of long passes missed their intended targets.
Michigan had one great chance late in the second quarter, when Kelsey Reviello rifled a shot on net, but Klebasko made the pad stop to keep the contest level heading into halftime.
Finally, the contest opened up for the Terps on the back side of the third frame.
After the period’s initial two scores, Jordyn Hollamon redirected a shot from Eschoyez into the back of the cage to make it 3-0. Then, in the blink of an eye, Maddie Vasilios went five-hole on Silverstein to further cushion the lead. In the fourth quarter, Bradford added one more to cap off the scoring at five.
While the Terps’ offense stole the show, the defense made its mark as well. Outside of the fourth quarter — when Michigan had a pair of goals on five shots — Maryland’s defense pitched a shutout, allowing just three shots. The Wolverines had very few chances, as a combination of poor passing and nifty Terp stickwork did them in.
Three things to know
- Second-half surge. The Terps have now scored 27 of their 41 goals in the second half this season, amounting to a 65.8% clip.
- Maci magic. Bradford had six points – split between two goals and two assists. That ties this season’s mark for most points in a game. Hollamon had a six-point performance on Sept. 11 against Towson.
- Well-earned week of rest. Maryland won’t take the field again until next Oct. 16 for a battle against Michigan State. It’ll be the first of two games on the weekend for the Terps, so the rest will certainly be needed.
