After applying the pressure for the majority of Sunday’s matinee with Temple, No. 13 Maryland field hockey was facing it as the fourth quarter started.
The Terps were clinging to a 2-1 lead and were desperate for a tally. Fortunately for Maryland, junior midfielder Francisca Eschoyez answered the call by netting her second goal of the game off a penalty corner. Her score with less than 13 minutes left in the contest helped the Terps hold off the Owls, 3-1.
“She knows why she’s here, and that’s because
she’s an elite-level field hockey player,” head coach Missy Meharg said of Eschoyez after the victory. “She has incredible consistency and accuracy with her corners, so she’s a wonderful addition.”
Similar to Friday, Maryland came out flying offensively. Freshman Ella Beach was all over the field in the opening five minutes, launching three shots, but she couldn’t break through. Temple goalie Alex Lepore was up to the task with an acrobatic diving stop on Beach’s third attempt.
After the initial surge of offense from the Terps, the Owls settled in. Temple seemed to have more success in pushing the ball into Maryland’s defensive third than Drexel did on Friday, but Maryland’s defense still didn’t allow a shot in the opening frame.
The Terps had another chance late in the first frame when Eschoyez attempted a shot off a penalty corner, but Lepore once again lunged to her left to make the stop.
Temple’s goalkeeper was at the top of her game on Sunday. While Lepore did surrender three goals, her five impressive saves kept the Owls within striking distance all game.
Maryland kept up the pressure to start the second quarter, and it eventually paid dividends. On the Terps’ fifth penalty corner of the game, Beach stopped the insert and set up a shot for Eschoyez, who whacked it past Lepore to open the scoring in the 19th minute.
Maryland’s offense wouldn’t stop there. At the 2:49 mark in the second period, Babs van Hest centered a pass for Aida Ierubino, who redirected the ball past Lepore for her second goal in as many games.
“It means that you’ve got a group of women already that are super open and are embracing new talents… that want to be Maryland Terrapins,” Meharg said of her new players. “I think our coaching staff has done a really good job of selecting young women that match the culture of the women that we have.”
Maryland’s defense was lightly tested in the first half. Even when Temple seemed to have an opening, a Terp defender —- whether it was Josie Hollamon, Erin Callahan or Ella Fehr — swooped in to end the attack before it could truly get started.
Temple didn’t make things any easier for itself on Sunday, as the Owls made an abundance of mistakes. One nearly resulted in an additional goal for Maryland, as Lotje Aalderink sent an errant pass right to the stick of Ierubino. Despite having plenty of open turf in front of her, the freshman failed to put a shot on net.
As the third quarter wore on, Temple spent more and more time in its attacking third, especially with Maryland down a player. Eventually, sophomore Kathryn Gauvin broke through Maryland’s defense and faced goaltender Alyssa Klebasko one-on-one, but she took too heavy of a touch and lost the ball out of bounds.
However, the Owls continued to generate offense, and before long, they were on the board. A Maryland foul inside the shooting circle yielded a penalty stroke for Temple in the 44th minute, and Lucia Magro buried the ensuing opportunity to cut the lead in half.
Still, Maryland’s defense buckled down and held the Temple scoreless the rest of the way to seal the win.
“I think it’s just really important that we keep the ball calm in our possession,” Fehr said. “When they get the positive energy, for us, it’s just to pass it around them, calm it down and don’t take quick, free hits.”
“The beauty of the game is the possession and the mastery, and goals come from that,” Meharg added.
Three things to know
- Newcomer success. Five of Maryland’s six goals this season have been scored by players who weren’t on last year’s squad.
- Fantastic Francisca. Eschoyez scored her first two goals as a Terp on Sunday and earned the celebratory helmet in the postgame meeting. In her brief pregame speech, Eschoyez expressed her happiness to be part of the squad.
- Penalty corner plethora. The Terps had nine penalty corners on Sunday, continuing a theme from 2025. Last season, the Terps had the second-most penalty corners in all of the Big Ten.
