During Maryland field hockey players Sarah Holliday, Linnea Gonzales, Julie Duncan and Olivia Reiter’s freshman year in College park, the Terps won the Big Ten regular season and tournament title, but lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The next year, Maryland couldn’t manage to win the Big Ten Tournament, but improved its performance slightly in the NCAA Tournament with a second-round loss to North Carolina.

As juniors in 2017, two more members joined the class. Forward Sabrina Rhodes transferred from Delaware and forward Melissa Wilken arrived from James Madison. The team once again came up short in the conference tournament, but for the first time since 2011 reached the national championship, where it lost 2-1 to UConn.

Now with the group as seniors, the Terps are on a 15-1 run, sit at the No. 2 spot in the country and are in search of the title they fell just short of last season. But before they can reach that feat, they will be honored at Friday’s game against Northwestern for Senior Day.

“They’ve been just stalwarts in getting Maryland field hockey to where we want to be and to play the brand that we want to play,” coach Missy Meharg said. “They’ve all grown up and they’re just in a great place.”

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Gonzales and Holliday have been key starters since their freshman year. Gonzales has scored 42 goals with 11 assists in her career, and is leading the Terps in goals as a this year. Holliday has stopped 230 career shots, posting a .721 save percentage in goal.

Rhodes had two goals and three assists last season, but has stepped into a bigger role this year, notching four goals and eight assists.

“Going through the years they’ve just gotten stronger and stronger,” junior Madison Maguire said. “It’s just great … to celebrate them.”

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This year, they have sought to improve as leaders, too, providing pep talks before games, offering instruction on the field and boosting team spirit after the squad’s lone loss.

“The amount that all of us play goes up and down, but we as a class have always been able to connect with the rest of the team,” Holliday said. “The way we integrate ourselves has really brought a different team culture and I think that’s what been able to help us grow so we can be back in a national championship place.”

Friday’s game could further solidify the team’s chances. With a win over Northwestern, Maryland would clinch at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title. A win would also secure a first seed in the conference tournament.

“We really want this,” Gonzales said. “We know what it feels like to win and we just want to bring back those feelings for our senior year and just do the best we can while we’re still here.”