No. 12 Maryland field hockey is no stranger to tight games against No. 10 Iowa.
In their last match-up, the Terps and Hawkeyes anxiously waited around the shooting circle before Annemijn Klijnhout scored the goal that broke Maryland’s tie in a shootout.
On Friday, Klijnhout took a familiar stance at the top of the shooting circle with 12 minutes remaining in the game. She looked onwards towards the goal and shot. Captain Josie Hollamon stepped in to ensure the shot made its target, tapping it right
past Iowa goalkeeper Mia Magnotta to give the Terps the lead.
Maryland defeated the Hawkeyes, 2-1, in a back-and-forth affair, giving the Terps their fourth conference win of the season.
Neither team took a shot in the first 13:30 of game action. Both defensive lines held strong, pushing back on offensive breakaways and limiting any scoring opportunities.
Eventually, Iowa’s Fréderique van Cleef took the game’s first two shot attempts following the Hawkeyes’ first penalty corner opportunity. Goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko swatted both of van Cleef’s attempts away from the cage.
Maryland took its first turn from the corner just 40 seconds into the second quarter, as Bradford passed across the shooting circle to freshman Jordyn Hollamon. Hollamon hit the ball towards the goal, but Magnotta stood between ball and cage, knocked the shot away and invited another corner. Even with a different angle, Hollamon still couldn’t complete the chance.
Instead, Iowa broke away with the ball, driving down the field and earning a corner of its own. Klebasko was called into action, closing her stance to allow the ball to bounce off of her knees. A replay referral gave the Hawkeyes another chance, but star attacker Dionne van Aalsum was swallowed up by Maryland’s defense.
Late in the first half, the Terps overcame an off-target attempt by Ellie Goldstein to retain possession for a final chance. Josie Hollamon opted for an aerial pass, sending the ball soaring to Erin Callahan. Callahan took a shot herself, but Magnotta knocked the ball away from the net.
The second half opened with two back-to-back penalty corners from Iowa, resulting in four more shots on goal. Two attempts met Maryland defenders, while Klebasko knocked the other two clear of the net.
Five minutes later, the Hawkeyes returned to the corner. Defender Fleur Knopert stood right in front of Iowa’s designated shooter, snatching possession of the ball and barely breaking away. Knopert passed to sophomore AJ Eyre, but the ball bounced off of Magnotta’s pads.
The same happened during the following penalty corner, only the fourth that Maryland earned. Both Jordyn Hollamon and Brinkley Eyre took swings towards the net, and Magnotta stopped both of them point blank, earning her eighth and ninth saves of the game.
Hawkeye freshman Jordan Byers snuck through the Terps defenders, drawing a corner off of Josie Hollamon with 4:33 left in the third frame.
After no success in penalty corners for the entire game, Iowa finally broke through. Midfielder Lieve van Kessel gained possession. Klebasko slid to block too early, and van Kessel shot around her, earning the first goal of the game.
But just three minutes later, Maryland responded. Brinkley Eyre broke through the midfield towards Iowa’s shooting zone. She found midfielder Callie Rogers to her left, who reversed her stick to avoid Hawkeyes in front of her. She dished the ball to Bradford, who slid it over to Jordyn Hollamon.
Just inches from Magnotta’s mask, freshman Jordyn Hollamon tapped the ball past the goalline, tying the match, 1-1.
The fourth quarter opened with an umpire review on a penalty corner called in Maryland’s favor. After confirmation, Maci Bradford inserted across the circle. She passed to Josie Hollamon, whose shot went flying after a block from Iowa’s defense. The second time around, Hollamon made the difference.
Throughout the final minutes, Maryland’s defense held up, stripping possession from the Hawkeyes as soon as they crossed into their attacking zone.
Iowa head coach Lisa Cellucci pulled Magnotta from its goal in exchange for another attacker, but to no avail. The Terps maintained possession through the final seconds of the game, solidifying their lead and earning another conference victory.
Three things to know
1. Record struck down. The Hawkeyes’ r season-high for most penalty corners in a game. The Terps blocked a fourth of Iowa’s penalty corner attempts before Klebasko could step in and conceded just one of twelve attempts.
2. Sisters by chance, teammates by choice. For the third time this season, sisters Josie and Jordyn Hollamon both scored a goal in the same game.
3. A helping hand. After logging two assists on Friday, Maci Bradford is now tied for fourth in the Big Ten for total assists.