No. 8 Maryland field hockey (9-4, B1G 1-3) bounced back this week with a win over then-No. 12 Virginia in overtime and a shutout over James Madison. It now hopes to extend its two game winning streak with a win against No. 3 Rutgers (10-2, B1G 3-1). 

If the Terps win tomorrow, head Coach Missy Meharg will become the third Division I field hockey coach to reach 600 career wins. 

“I would love to have it be tomorrow, but [that’s] certainly not the focus of this,” Meharg said. 

Instead, the Terps top priority is beating a ranked conference opponent for the first time this season. The Big Ten in 2021 is brimming with talented squads, and Maryland has faced the best the conference has to offer to practically no avail. Iowa, Northwestern and Penn State, all top ten teams when they faced Maryland, got the best of the Terps this season. 

Rutgers, however, might be the best of the entire conference, with a program record eight wins over ranked opponents.

The Scarlet Knights are also on two game winning streak, with a shutout of both Indiana and Penn State by scores of 1-0. 

The Scarlet Knights are led by midfielder Milena Redlingshoefer, who is tied with three other players with four goals and leads the Scarlet Knights with eight assists. All of Redlingshoefer’s goals have been game-winners. 

“We know these players well and we’ve been able to match up with them really well,” Meharg said. “I don’t think there’s any surprise what we’re going to see in terms of their players and technical skills.” 

The team is coming off a strong defensive performance. The Terps held James Madison to one shot for most of the match and Virginia scoreless for the opening 54 minutes. 

“I think our depth this year is really great,” defender Riley Donelly said. “It makes it hard for teams to scout us.”

Both teams earned a Big Ten weekly honor this week. Terps forward Hope Rose earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time this season after scoring the game winner in overtime against Virginia and notched an assist in the Terps 3-0 shutout of James Madison. 

Scarlet Knights goalie, Gianna Glatz, earned Co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after recording shutouts against Indiana and Penn State this past weekend. On the season, Glatz has recorded 28 saves while only allowing 10 goals on the season. 

The game can be streamed on Big Ten Plus on Friday at 3 p.m.