Despite winning 17 games and finishing top five nationally, it was a bitter end to the 2023 campaign for Maryland field hockey.
The Terps hosted Virginia in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, just one win away from their third consecutive Final Four appearance. The Cavaliers buried those hopes in emphatic fashion.
Maryland conceded one score in each quarter and registered just a single shot on goal in a nightmarish 60 minutes.
“We held ourselves very accountable for our lack of readiness for that day,” coach Missy Meharg said.
Given how last season ended, revenge would seem like an obvious motivator this time around. But that’s not what this year is about.
“The growth that we did off the field … has been super exciting,” Meharg said. “We debriefed that [loss] well and put a line through it, and I don’t envision that ever happening again.”
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While Maryland lost a few productive pieces in different areas of the field, an experienced core of veteran talent will help form the team’s spine. The Terps lost their three most frequent midfield starters from last season, but the position might be their deepest unit.
“We’ve got the fastest midfield in the country,” Meharg said. “It’s different having great speed coming out of the back than if you have it in the midfield and going from your midfield to the front field.”
Meharg highlighted Emma DeBerdine, Hope Rose and Maya Everett as her counter-attacking catalysts.
After four seasons with Maryland between 2019 and 2022, DeBerdine returns to College Park with Olympic experience. The graduate student played in all five of Team USA’s matches in Paris this summer.
“Being able to lead in a different way that I wasn’t able of leading before when I was here is really valuable to me, because I have a little bit more knowledge of the game and the strategies behind that,” DeBerdine said.
Rose also brings a new perspective to the Terps’ midfield. She spent the first three years of her Maryland career as a forward.
She’s been Maryland’s leading goal scorer in each of the past two seasons, but dropping into the midfield will allow the senior to be more creative, using speed and technical ability to dribble past defenders in counter-attacking scenarios.
Rose said she worked on expanding her offensive vision to see more of the field while keeping her same attacking mentality.
With Rose in the midfield, Maryland’s attack will look different than it did a year ago.
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Sophomore Maci Bradford will look to build on a 2023 campaign where she tallied 10 goals and five assists. But aside from her, the Terps aren’t returning many experienced attackers.
Meharg is confident in her attack thanks to a trio of freshmen forwards — Ella Gaitan, Ellie Goldstein and Kristina Johnson.
“[Gaitan’s] starting to work back in her defense in a really smart way, and she’s a great goal scorer … she’s been able to utilize her teammates,” Meharg said.
Fifth-year returner Rayne Wright will again anchor the Maryland backline. In addition to her wealth of experience, Wright hasn’t missed a game in her Terps career.
Returners Josie Hollamon and Ericka Morris-Adams will likely join Wright in a tried and tested defensive line.
“Every day in practice we do something that makes us … one percent better, especially in the defense,” Wright said. “We’ve always held a big pride at Maryland of just having a strong defense because defense wins championships.”
A goal-keeping unit headlined by sophomore Alyssa Klebasko will make Maryland’s defensive presence stronger. Klebasko finished second in save percentage among all qualifying Division I shot-stoppers in 2023.
Maryland opens the season as the fourth-ranked team in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s preseason rankings, sandwiched between No. 5 Duke and No. 3 Virginia. Maryland will face both schools in September. The Terps will also play host to No. 7 Louisville in their season opener on Friday.
Despite stiff competition, Meharg is confident in her squad’s ability to win.
“We’ve got 24 athletes right now that are super playing at the highest level that they can be playing at right now,” Meharg said. “That’s different from where we’ve been.”
