Maryland field hockey doesn’t lose the season opener. In fact, it hasn’t happened since 1996.
The No. 13-ranked Terps made sure that streak continued on Friday as they cruised past Drexel in the first game of the Conference Cup, 3-0.
“I think we were a little bit anxious at the beginning. I think our skills were a little bit off, and we settled in and settled down. It was a game of control,” head coach Missy Meharg said after the bout. “Three goals was fine, and none scored against us is even better,
so it’s really positive.”
Maryland came out to a roaring start, and it was some of the newest Terps who were right in the thick of it. At the 7:40 mark in the first frame, freshman midfielder Aida Ierubino received a long pass on the right wing, dribbled through a pack of Drexel defenders and flicked a shot over the outstretched glove of Drexel goalie Halle Geiger for her first collegiate goal.
“We’ve been really working on eye contact, head movements and connecting on the field, so I saw Fran[cisca Eschoyez] looking to send a great ball, and I just wanted to use my speed and my advantage and take it into the circle,” Ierubino said. “It was so exciting, but it really showed how well we worked from the backfield to the frontfield.”
Not long after, Maci Bradford centered a goal-line pass for Babs van Hest, who tapped in her first goal as a Terp to make it 2-0 as the first quarter came to a close.
Despite a quiet second quarter, the first half was all Maryland. The Terps played fast, applied relentless defensive pressure and kept the game almost exclusively in their middle and attacking thirds. Drexel had just one sustained possession, which the Terps handled comfortably.
“We really focus on our press and our intensity up front,” Ierubino said. “We focus on our shape and being big.”
To help facilitate the fast playstyle, Meharg and her staff endlessly cycled through players, keeping shifts short and legs fresh. By the game’s end, 18 Terps had played at least 10 minutes.
The second half was much of the same, as the Terps continued their aggressive playstyle and exposed Drexel’s mistakes to create offense. At the midway point of the third quarter, Maddie Vasilios entered the shooting circle unopposed and whipped a shot past Geiger to extend the lead to three, a goal that put the contest’s scoring to rest.
Drexel’s stars were quiet on Friday. Two-time reigning CAA Player of the Year Valentine Van Hellemont didn’t attempt a single shot, while star attacker Pili Lemoine didn’t do much either.
“Our defense is zonal to man, and because we’re playing zonal, you can double down on a player like that,” said Meharg. “The way she comes out of the belly like that, it’s easy to have two or three defenders right around her.”
Drexel had a flurry of offense late, but goalkeeper Ryleigh Osborne — who got the fourth quarter in net for the Terps in relief of Alyssa Klebasko — handled it to secure the shutout and the celebratory helmet.
Three things to know
1. Dragon dominance. Maryland is now 12-0 all-time against Drexel.
2. Offensive outburst. It seemed like the Terps were in the shooting circle all game on Friday, as they accumulated 27 total shots.
3. Easy day in the net. Maryland’s pair of goalkeepers didn’t have to do much on Friday, as they faced just five shots — with three coming in the final 10 minutes.
