The battle between No. 13 Maryland field hockey and No. 6 Duke was everything fans could’ve asked for, as the former ACC foes went toe-to-toe on a neutral site for 70 minutes and into a shootout.
Thanks to a late goal from freshman Ella Beach and three consecutive shootout saves from goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko, the Terps stunned the Blue Devils, 3-2, to move to 4-0 on the season.
Duke had the first major chance just three minutes into the match, as Shae Wozniak received a centering pass just on the doorsteps
of the goal. The attempt was denied by Klebasko, who dropped into a split and made a kick save with her left blocker.
Once again, penalty corners were a major theme throughout the game. Maryland had a pair of them right off the bat, but Duke set the tone by blocking a pair of hits from Feliz Kuhne.
On the other side, Duke earned a pair of penalty corners two minutes later and broke through on the second attempt. While the Blue Devils botched the initial insert, they quickly recovered and sent another centering pass towards the middle where Ashley Stockdale tipped the ball past Klebasko to put the Blue Devils ahead.
Later in the frame, Juliette Schulten received a penalty corner insert and ripped a bullet shot past Klebasko to double Duke’s lead with 90 seconds to play in the quarter.
Duke doubled up Maryland in the penalty corner category, 10-5, but had little success after the opening period, failing to capitalize the rest of the way.
Despite the early hole, Maryland bounced back quickly with a familiar sight: Francisca Eschoyez scoring off a penalty corner. The Quinnipiac transfer notched her fourth goal off a set piece to halve Duke’s lead not even two minutes into the second quarter.
Following Maryland’s goal, the defenses settled in. Each team had a few chances throughout the period but couldn’t break through, sending the game to halftime with Duke ahead, 2-1.
Coming out of halftime, Duke had a trio of opportunities to re-extend its lead, but Maryland’s defense stood tall again. Klebasko made another fantastic kick save on a shot from Kyle Massey in the 36th minute, then registered another denial when she knocked down a ball that popped up in the air. On Duke’s third attempt, Erin Callahan blocked a shot from the top of the circle.
While Klebasko conceded a pair of early goals, she responded well as the game rolled on. She finished with three saves in regulation and added three more in the shootout to clinch the victory.
While neither team scored in the third quarter, it was a stretch undeniably controlled by Duke. The Blue Devils dominated the time of possession and made it difficult for the Terps to generate any offense.
Early in the fourth, Duke was called for a yellow card, but with the door open, Maryland failed to register a shot for the entire five-minute penalty. In fact, the Terps didn’t have a look on net until the 58th minute, when Rachael Whitehead launched the ball towards the cage from 25 yards away. Fortunately for the Terps, that’s all they needed, as Beach redirected Whitehead’s long-range missile into the back of the net to send the match to overtime.
The remarkable goal – Beach’s first of her collegiate career – came with the Terps down a player under a yellow card.
In the overtime period, Duke had the majority of the possession but couldn’t find the winner, as a pair of shots sailed over the crossbar.
Three things to know
1. Dealing with adversity. Maryland trailed for the first time all season – by two goals no less – in Sunday’s game, but fought back against a top-10 opponent. Today’s victory could be one the Terps and their fans look back on later in the year as a season-defining moment.
2. Exorcising the demons. The Terps defeated the Blue Devils for the first time since 2022. Maryland still holds the overall series advantage, 37-17-3.
3. Top-10 takedown. Maryland gets its first win against a top-10 opponent in its first chance to do so this season. In 2025, the Terps went just 1-5 against top-10 opponents, a record that contributed to their vacancy from the NCAA tournament.
