No. 3 Maryland field hockey (4-0) returns home this weekend for the 25th annual Terrapin Invitational.
Maryland and No. 23 American (2-2) will take on No. 12 Harvard (1-1) and New Hampshire. (3-1) Maryland looks to remain undefeated as they take on the two teams.
The tournament opens on Friday evening, with Maryland taking on Harvard in a battle of two 2021 Final Four teams.
Head coach Missy Meharg has connections to two of Harvard’s coaches.
Harvard Head Coach Tjerk Van Herwaarden worked on Meharg’s staff for seven years, helping the Terps win five National Championships before joining Harvard as the head coach in 2012.
“Maryland first brought him over on his first work visa here, and I had him at camps for years that I ran, so I’m very familiar with Cherrick and his style,” Meharg said. “Super proud of him for taking Harvard to the level that it is.”
One of Harvard’s assistant coaches, Madison Maguire, was a recent player for Maryland graduating in 2020 and played with some current Terps including midfielder Emma DeBerdine.
“It’s definitely cool to see,” DeBerdine said. “There are so many people that go from Maryland to other coaching jobs, so it’s going to be exciting. She has a lot of Maryland in her, so it’s going to be fun to go against that.”
The Terps have been clicking on all fronts this season as Maryland boasts the No. 2 offense in the nation. The Terps are averaging 4.50 goals a game and have scored seven goals in a game twice, propelling Maryland to its best start since 2018.
“We’re having a great time on and off the pitch,” defender Ericka Morris-Adams said. “We’ve just come together so much as a team, but we’re hoping to keep that winning streak going, and to bring this energy to the next game and the game after that.”
The Terps have a momentous task against Harvard. Meharg believes Harvard’s goalie Ellie Shahbo is one of the top goalies in the nation. The last time the Crimson faced the Terps, Shahbo notched her career-high ten saves.
Shahbo has been a force in the net, racking up 148 saves over her four-year career as the starter.
On Sunday, the Terps will face New Hampshire, the tenth highest scoring offense in the country. The Wildcats have scored at least three goals in every game and are averaging 3.50 goals a game.
All New Hampshire’s goals have come off the sticks of four players, with freshman forward Tasmin Cookman leading the Wildcats with five goals. Cookman recorded a hat trick against Boston University.
Terps’ defender, Maura Verleg, gets a chance to play her former team. Verleg began her collegiate career with the Wildcats before transferring to Maryland after her freshman season. At New Hampshire, Verleg was the American East Rookie of the Year and led the team in minutes.
All the games this weekend will stream on Big Ten Plus.
