Maryland returned to the pitch after halftime in a tied game after none of its 11 second-quarter shots found the back of the net. 

The third quarter started similarly, but then the offense found its groove. 

Midfielder Leah Crouse got the ball and fired it towards the right side of the net, where midfielder Bibi Donraadt was waiting. Donraadt tapped the ball in, giving Maryland the lead back; A lead they would not give back. 

“We played against their backfield completely differently,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “Instead of putting pressure on the center back with the ball we just let her pass, and we just came and put pressure on the outside, which is like blinding.” 

No. 3 Maryland field hockey (6-0) scored five unanswered goals to defeat New Hampshire, (3-3) 6-1, and continue its best start since 2018.

Maryland started off hot. Two minutes into the game Maryland earned a penalty corner and cashed in with forward Hope Rose burying one into the net for an early lead. 

New Hampshire did not back down from facing the number three team in the country early on.

Late in the first quarter, New Hampshire found their equalizer. Maryland goalie Paige Kieft came out of the cage to contest the ball, but star freshman forward Tasmin Cookman received the ball and knocked down her sixth goal of the season.

Maryland peppered New Hampshire with tons of shots, but they kept bouncing off the posts or sailing just wide. 

Wildcats goalie, Jemma Woods, was also phenomenal in the first half. Woods tallied 10 saves, keeping the Wildcats in the game. Woods finished with 12 saves.

Maryland switched it up in goal, as sophomore Paige Kieft got her first collegiate start in goal for the Terps. 

New Hampshire kept driving the ball into the circle, testing Kieft, and she stood tall, making a save and defending well to force the ball out of bounds in the first half. Kieft faced a few more shots in the fourth quarter and finished with two saves. 

“It was just so exciting,” Kieft said. “I love playing these girls in practice, so being able to bring it onto the field just really felt full circle.” 

After Donraadt’s goal, the Terps kept finding the back of the net, dominating ball control in the second half. 

Towards the end of the third quarter, midfielder Belle Bressler stole the ball away from the Wildcats in the circle late in the third quarter. 

Bressler took a few steps forward and then used a backhand swing to fire the ball into the far bottom corner of the net and extend the Terps’ lead. 

Midfielder Emma DeBerdine joined the scoring party in the fourth quarter. DeBerdine got a pass from Donraadt across the circle. 

DeBerdine had a one-on-one with Woods and fired the shot past Woods as the ball ricocheted off the post and into the net, giving Maryland a 5-1 lead. 

Rose added her second goal late in the fourth quarter, increasing her team-leading stat with her sixth.

“I think the sky’s the limit for us,” Bressler said. “We have so much potential and such a deep bench. It’s just super exciting.”