Maryland field hockey opened the season 13-0 on the strength of one of the nation’s best offenses, leading the Big Ten with 3.77 goals on 11.38 shots on goal per game heading into its matchup with Penn State.

But the Terps’ vaunted attack was toothless against the Nittany Lions, who easily handed them their first loss of the season, 3-1.

Maryland steadfastly contends it will learn from the loss, and it won’t take long to find out whether its attack is back on the right track. After visiting Indiana on Friday, the Terps will travel to Iowa and face one of the toughest defenses in the country.

To begin a new win streak, Maryland is focused on making the adjustments necessary to see an immediate improvement on the attacking end.

“We were on such a good roll and then kind of dropped off a little that one game,” forward Julie Duncan said. “[We’re] getting that energy and intensity back and focusing on the next game instead of dwelling on what happened.”

[Read more: Julie Duncan ‘makes the hard times better’ for Maryland field hockey]

Maryland took 13 shots against Penn State, but only eight were on target, and just one — a garbage-time penalty stroke goal — found the net.

On Sunday, the Terps’ offense will face Hawkeyes goalkeeper Leslie Speight, who allows .69 goals per game, the second-fewest in the country.

In practice this week, the team focused on the many facets of attacking that faltered against Penn State, including stick skills, beating defenders one-on-one and taking free hits.

[Read more: Maryland field hockey believes it can learn from its 1st loss of the season]

To get past Speight, coach Missy Meharg said her team needs to look for rebounds.

Meharg also decided to switch up positions for the weekend and plans to play sophomore Kyler Greenwalt and freshman Bibi Donraadt on the midfield line. Greenwalt is listed as a midfielder, but has mainly played forward this season. Donraadt had one goal when she played midfield in the Terrapin Invitational earlier this season.

The Hawkeyes’ offense, meanwhile, is led by one of the conference’s best duos.

Forward Maddy Murphy ranks second in the Big Ten in goals, and midfielder Katie Birch — last season’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year — and is tied for the fourth-most assists.

“Birch is a great player,” Meharg said. “She’s moved up a level in her positioning and she plays a very kind of English style of game. She’s very disciplined, she’s very tactical and she does well with that.”

To prepare for the Iowa attack, Maryland worked on two different press styles in practice. And because the Terps utilize a similar offensive style as Iowa, their defenders shouldn’t be confused by anything the Hawkeyes throw at them.

“We’re continuing to grow,” Meharg said. “We tend to bring out good hockey and good athleticism in the teams that we play. … We’re more focused on what we’re doing.”