With a dominant 5-0 win over Saint Joseph’s, No. 7 Maryland field hockey solidified itself as a true contender and proved that it is ready to take on Penn State in their first Big Ten matchup of the season.

In what was a commanding win for the Terps, they were able to pick up an early goal, scored by newcomer Babs van Hest. They kept the energy up and stayed in control offensively for most of the game. In the second quarter, Francisca Eschoyez would add another goal during one of their 10 total corners. 

The second half was even stronger, and Maryland would get another corner. This corner would then turn into a stroke, where Francisca Eschoyez would easily put one in to move the score to 3-0. They continued their trouncing as van Hest scored her second goal, putting the team up 4-0 and carrying their control into the final quarter.

The Terps would keep Saint Joseph’s to one shot in the entire second half, and none in the fourth. While the Hawks were trying to return on defense, freshman Aida Ierubino would score Maryland’s fifth and final goal for the game.

The theme for the game was domination as the Terps took off, showing the Hawks who would be in control of the game. The Terps capitalized quickly, and in the third minute Babs van Hest scored on a beautiful cross-goal reverse chip. 

This set the pace for the rest of the quarter, which was monopolized by Maryland’s offense. 

Saint Joseph’s never once slowed down, though, as even though they were being beaten in possession, they were still trying to capitalize. 

Hawks’ defense showed up well against the Terps, as their pressure kept any attempts at bay. Maryland threw a couple of shots their way, but they seemed to be moving a little too fast and missed some crucial connections. 

Those missed connections didn’t, however, show the excellence of Maryland’s offense. They were able to navigate the Hawks’ defense exceptionally well and found themselves in the circle many times over, grabbing a couple of corners along the way.

The second quarter brought about some more offense for Saint Joseph’s, as they racked up three shots, tripling their attempts from the first half. 

The Hawks were still looking for their answer to Maryland’s first-quarter goal, but they struggled to put the ball in their offensive zone the further they got into the quarter.

The Terps were able to pick up a string of corners, and just a few minutes later they picked up their sixth and most successful corner of the game yet. With a straight shot down the middle, Francisca Eschoyez scored her fifth goal of the season with assists from Maci Bradford and Ella Beach. 

A two-goal lead left Maryland with a good bit of padding, and the last five minutes of the half were dominated by Hawks’ Milou Kluyt and her defensive prowess. 

Early into the third quarter, Maryland was able to nab a corner, which ended up converting to a successful penalty stroke taken by Fransisca Eschoyez, her second of the afternoon.

In what had been a game of offensive control, van Hest continued to show up and show out as she scored her second goal of the afternoon with a cross-goal assist from Aida Ierubino. 

This hadn’t been the first time van Hest had put up a great game, as she had already had 2 goals and 6 assists heading into the game. 

“She’s got like, five, six gears, right? When you see it, it’s amazing,” Meharg had said about van Hest. 

For a brief bit, the Hawks were able to pick up the pace and send a great shot in their offensive zone, but it would quickly turn back to a Maryland-controlled offense. 

The rest of the quarter would go by pretty quickly, as Saint Joseph’s were able to keep the Terps at bay, even when they were down a player.

It was a tale of repetition as Maryland maintained nearly all of the possession during the final quarter. 

Ryleigh Osborne returned to the net after a great shutout against the Towson Tigers earlier in the weekend, but the Terps’ defense would make it hard for her to log even a single save. 

Bringing along a third goal scorer of the game, Aida Ierubino took the ball down the left side of the field, easily passing the defense and taking on Hawk’s goalkeeper Avi Wagner. 

With a five-goal deficit, Saint Joseph’s started playing a more aggressive game, reminiscent of the first quarter. Their attempts would be futile, though, as they still wouldn’t be able to capitalize on their offensive takes and would remain at 0 shots on the quarter. 

It was a Maryland forward game, as they kept the ball almost entirely in their offensive zone, keeping the Hawks to 6 shots on the game, none in the fourth.

The Terps would pick up another shutout, leaving the game with a score of 5-0 and heading into their next game with a 6-0 record.