By Andrew Diveley

No. 7 Maryland field hockey powered its way to a 4-2 win over No. 17 Penn State on Friday. The Terps showcased a balanced offense led by seniors Hope Rose and Kylee Niswonger, and anchored defensively by goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko. 

With the victory, the Terps improve to 12-5 on the season, while the Nittany Lions drop to 8-9.

Maryland struck first in the fourth minute, taking advantage of a penalty corner. A blocked Rose shot bounced back to her for the rebound. In a flash, she quickly passed to Ella Gaitan, who powered a shot in – giving the Terps an early one-score lead.

Penn State answered in the second quarter with a goal by Sophia Gladieux in the 20th minute. The USA Olympian scored a low shot off a short pass from Julienne van Bekkum, to tie the score, 1-1.

“[We] had a little bit of chaos … we were able to turn it into organization,” coach Missy Meharg said.

The Terps regained control to begin the second half. 

In the 31st minute, Niswonger fired a pass to Annemijn Klijnhout, who slipped a quick shot between Penn State defenders to give Maryland another lead. 

Just two minutes later, Maci Bradford found Rose near the cage. Rose chipped a shot in over Delgado, pushing the Terps to a 3-1 advantage. 

But Maryland wasn’t done. Rose added her second goal of the night in the 39th minute, finishing a tough effort against Delgado, with added help from Gaitan.

“[Hope] Rose had a stellar game,” Meharg said. “It’s just really a pleasure to be able to move her from the midfield now into the forward line … starting to get in sync.”

Penn State’s offense showed a late surge in the final quarter. Klebasko held her ground, making a series of key saves against a pair of Nittany Lions attackers. However, Penn State’s Sophia Mannino managed a goal in the final minute, bringing the score to within two. 

The Terps’ defense limited the Nittany Lions to a handful of quality chances, with Klebasko logging four saves and Rose scoring in her fourth straight game. Delgado collected an impressive 10 saves, keeping the score within reach – but the Penn State offense couldn’t recover late.

With the regular season concluding, Maryland now sits firmly as the two-seed in next week’s Big Ten Tournament. The Terps return home to host the postseason tournament, taking on No. 16 Iowa in College Park on Thursday.