Hope Rose moved toward Bibi Donraadt in the backfield during the first quarter of Sunday’s match at American. After Donraadt came up with a steal, Rose powered past the senior forward, dashing in the direction of the cage.
Rose flew so fast that by the time Donraadt passed her the ball, she had passed both her defender and the goalkeeper. The freshman flipped the ball into the net, giving No. 7 Maryland field hockey its first of four goals scored in that game and Rose’s third in the last two matches.
Rose has been off to a hot start in a Maryland uniform. And she earned her first career weekly honor Monday after being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
“She’s working her way back into being in a really competitive mind space,” coach Missy Meharg said. “Couldn’t be more excited for the team.”
The Dauphin, Pennsylvania, native joined Meharg’s squad this season. And her first game with the Terps had to be delayed — the U.S. women’s national team member was playing with USA Field Hockey in Chile at the start of the season.
Whether she’s with Maryland, the U.S. national team or at Central Dauphin High School, Rose has always been playing the same way.
[Maryland field hockey is exuding a dominant mentality with top-ranked opponents on the way]
“She’s just herself when she plays,” midfielder Nathalie Fiechter said. “She’s just always the same girl and I like that a lot.”
Rose has already registered four goals and an assist in her rookie season. She’s quickly emerging as a key part of the Terps’ potent offense that has scored 33 times — the fourth-most in the Big Ten.
As she solidifies her presence in the Terps’ talented offensive unit up front, her four goals are tied for second-most on the team. She and Julianna Tornetta trail only Bibi Donraadt, who has seven goals on the season.
The freshman’s adjustment to playing in college hasn’t been a problem for her, especially with the culture Meharg has fostered.
“The team and Maryland has a really big family atmosphere,” Rose said. “So I think just coming into that, it’s made the transition a lot easier.”
[No. 9 Maryland field hockey cruises to 4-0 win over American]
For most of Rose’s life, she was far more skilled than most of the players with whom she played. This made her create certain habits, which Meharg and the coaching staff have quickly helped her fix while still maintaining her playing style, Fiechter noted.
“She’s getting a lot of detailed attention from the coaching staff, from the older players … and she’s doing what people are asking,” Meharg said.
In its last few games, Maryland has gotten on the board early. Most recently, it was Rose’s goal that opened the scoring at American just five minutes into the match. And she and the Terps hope to keep that intensity into Thursday evening.
“We’ve just really been talking about bringing the intensity from the start,” Rose said. “We’ve had some slow starts and we have come back, but the last few games we’ve really come out with the intensity we intended to and brought the heat.”
