No. 10 Maryland field hockey (4-2) will open Big Ten play against No. 16 Penn State (4-1) on Friday in College Park. The Terps look to carry the momentum of the 2-0 weekend in the Terrapin Invitational.
Maryland bounced back in a big way last weekend, beating Penn 3-1 and No. 15 St. Joseph’s 1-0 on an Ella Gaitan goal with less than 40 seconds to go.
The Terps are currently riding a two-game win streak against Penn State. In its meeting last season, Maryland won the game 4-2, leading the overall series 9-8.
Penn State Preview
After losing its opening game to No. 3 Virginia, the Nittany Lions haven’t lost since. Penn State is coming into the contest on a four-game winning streak, including a 2-1 overtime win over St. Joseph’s.
Freshman Josephine Purdy leads the way, with three goals and seven points — the most on the team. The Nittany Lions have an extremely balanced offensive attack, with nine players scoring goals this season.
Penn State’s offense has been very effective this season, generating 70 shots and 41 on goal in five games. The Nittany Lions have also drawn 39 penalty corners.
Penn State is coming off a 5-2 win over Kent State. All five goals came from different players, and seven different players had shots on goal.
Over the four-game winning streak, sophomore goalkeeper Aby Deverka has saved 13-of-19 shots that have come her way. Deverka struggled in Penn State’s loss to Virginia, however, allowing five goals without making a save. The goalkeeper will need to keep her run of form going to stop a Maryland offense that, while it has struggled at times, is finding its rhythm recently.
Can Maryland Keep Its Momentum Going?
The Terps will need another strong performance from a defense that has been lockdown this season. Maryland has only allowed one penalty corner in its last two games. Against a Penn State team that averages nearly eight penalty corners per game, the Terps will need to continue to stay disciplined on defense.
Maryland will look to capitalize on the Nittany Lions’ inconsistent goalie play with its offense, which has been led primarily by Maci Bradford and Ella Gaitan.
While the Terps have struggled to score at times this year, maintaining the level of constant offensive pressure that Maryland has been able to apply will be critical to starting off Big Ten play strong.
