No. 5 Maryland field hockey hasn’t faced too much adversity in 2026.
But when the Terps have faced a test, they’ve passed with flying colors.
A minute into the fourth quarter on a dreary afternoon in State College, Maryland was locked in a 1-1 duel with Penn State. Suddenly, Terps junior forward Babs van Hest made the play of the game by stealing the ball, sprinting into the shooting circle and blasting a shot past Penn State goalie Aby Deverka to put the Terps ahead. Not long after, freshman Ella
Beach slipped a shot past Deverka to double the advantage.
To put the icing on the cake, Maci Bradford collected an empty-net goal to further stretch the lead.
That was all the Terps needed, as a dominant defense and a torrential downpour sealed the deal in a 4-1 conference-opening victory.
As the fourth quarter started, the rain intensified in State College. However, the Terps weren’t phased.
For the sixth time in seven games, Maryland started fast, taking advantage of a Penn State turnover to grab the opening lead. After a variety of passes, Maia Adamson ripped a shot from the top of the shooting circle. While the shot was a bit off-target, sophomore Brinkley Eyre was at the right spot at the right time to redirect the shot past Deverka to get the scoring started.
Maryland didn’t score again in the opening quarter but still controlled the frame from start to finish. Maryland took four shots – all of which were on goal – while Penn State attempted zero. Maryland also dominated the time-of-possession battle, neutralizing all of Penn State’s stars.
Penn State came out aggressive in the second quarter, challenging Maryland’s defense for the first time. Still, it was nothing the Terps couldn’t handle, as their defense buckled down and held the Nittany Lions to just two shots.
While Penn State’s offense was floundering, Deverka was shining in net. The junior made six saves – including a few lunging stops – to keep Maryland’s potent offense further off the scoreboard as the match hit halftime.
Penn State’s main struggle in the first half was its inability to convert passes. It appeared the Nittany Lions could only make one or two passes before giving it away, ending an attack before it could truly get started.
Still, it was just a one-goal deficit for Penn State exiting halftime, and on the Nittany Lions’ first penalty corner of the game, the deficit was no more. Former Terp Ella Gaitan beat her former teammate Klebasko with a missile from the top of the circle to even the score at one six minutes into the second half.
The third quarter was Penn State’s best quarter to date. The Nittany Lions won the time-of-possession battle, applied a significant amount of offensive pressure and outshot the Terps, 4-0. While Maryland had complete control in the first half, the Nittany Lions had their claws all over the third frame.
However, in the end, Maryland just had too much. Like the opening two periods, the fourth quarter was all Terps.
Three things to know
1. Spectacular seven. Maryland’s victory pushes it to 7-0 on the season. This is the 15th time in program history that Maryland has won seven straight games to start its season.
2. Second half, best half. Maryland has been exceptional in the second half of games this season. The Terps have outscored opponents 15-2 in the final 30 minutes, excluding overtime.
3. Biggest test next. Maryland will face the No. 4 Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Sunday. The Deacs will be the Terps’ first top-5 opponent thus far.
