After a delayed season and three weekends on the road Maryland field hockey (3-3, B1G) finally returns home to play a game in College Park for the first time since October 2019.
The Terps will take on Indiana (0-6, B1G) in a two-game series on Friday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. Maryland is looking to build on its momentum after a dramatic 3-2 victory against No. 7 Penn State last weekend.
“We have had good training this week and sustained training back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “We also had a good session this morning and have done a lot of work with goal scoring. We are just awfully excited to be at home after so many months away. All the women have all their spots filled, so looking forward to a good brand of Maryland hockey.”
Forward Bibi Donraadt has been heating up for the Terps leading the team in goals with three also tied with defender Riley Donnelly for a team-high seven points.
“[Bibi’s] goal scoring is natural for her, so I’m not surprised that she’s finishing and doing it with the game at hand” Meharg said. “What’s really impressive is the way Bibi is receiving in the midfield, the way she is counter defending. She is working hard on and off the ball.”
The Hoosiers are having a rough start to the season offensively having only mustered one goal, seven corners, and 14 shots in six games. Not only are the Hoosiers struggling offensively they are playing their entire season away from home while a new stadium is getting built. Backfielder Emma Martin scored the Hoosiers’ only goal off a penalty corner.
“A big thing that we have seen is their corner plays,” goalie Noelle Frost said. “I’m really confident in my corner defense with Brooke [DeBerdine], Riley [Donnelly] and Rayne [Wright]. We have been mainly focusing on that defensively.”
Despite the early season struggles goalie Shannon McNally has been a bright spot for the Hoosiers leading the Big Ten with 44 saves. However, the Hoosiers have surrendered 17 goals through six games struggling defensively.
Fans will be back in the stands for the Terps. Each player is allowed to have four family members or friends in the bleachers at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex to watch and cheer on the team. come to the game and cheer on the team. Maryland’s previous six contests in Virginia Beach and in State College fans were allowed.
“We are all so comfortable on our turf,” Frost said. “We are just happy to be home and play and have our loved ones be able to see us.”
