Early attacking chances were hard to come by for Maryland field hockey in its first two games this season. On Friday afternoon against Boston College though, it took the Terps just over 90 seconds to find the back of the cage.
Maci Bradford dribbled into the shooting circle before sliding a pass to Ella Gaitan. The freshman forward collected it with her back towards goal, spun, and flicked a shot into the bottom left corner.
In a highly-paced game, the Terps (3-0) added a second while keeping Boston College scoreless to secure a 2-0 win over the Eagles in the Big Ten/ACC Cup at Northwestern’s Lakeside Field.
Gaitan’s first career goal stood as the game-winner as Maryland held its opponent scoreless for the second straight contest.
Maryland struggled to break down low-block defenses in last weekend’s matchups with Louisville and Drexel. The Eagles’ defensive setup was far more aggressive, which opened the door for the Terps to strike first.
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Boston College attackers flew forward to press the Maryland defense straight from the opening whistle. A few erratic passes skipped around the Terps’ backline before Bradford provided the vital outlet.
The sophomore outran several trailing Eagles defenders before finding Gaitan, who converted on the game’s first chance.
Opportunities continued flowing for both teams in a back-and-forth first half.
Boston College tallied the game’s next three shots in a four-minute span after Maryland’s opening goal. The Terps survived the flurry of attacks thanks to a block and an Alyssa Klebasko save.
The Eagles’ high press kept the pressure on Maryland’s defenders. But the Terps were often able to beat it, earning several chances after playing out from the back.
An over-the-top ball with two minutes remaining in the opening half sent the Terps forward with a three-on-two attacking advantage. Fleur Knopert played the ball across the face of goal but her pass rolled past two Maryland forwards as the opportunity went awry.
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Maryland took five shots — four of which came from Knopert — while holding Boston College to none in the second quarter. The Terps entered the break with a 1-0 lead.
The fast pace of play continued favoring Maryland in the second half.
Midway through the third quarter, Maya Everett put together a brilliant solo run where the midfielder dribbled around three Boston College defenders before flicking a shot into the bottom left corner.
Everett’s effort looked like a pass, which confused the Boston College defense. Eagles goalkeeper Charlotte Kramer was left looking at her defenders as the ball slowly trickled in.
The two-goal advantage allowed Maryland to sit back the rest of the way.
Boston College flipped the shot breakdown from the second quarter by outshooting Maryland 5-0 during the final 15 minutes. Four of Klebasko’s five saves came in the final frame of the Terps’ victory.
The Terps now have two ranked wins in their first three matches, and will have a chance to add to that total on Sunday when they take on No. 5 Duke to close out the Big Ten/ACC Cup.
