Sluggish starts have plagued No. 5 Maryland field hockey in recent weeks. That wasn’t the case against Indiana.
Maryland won the game’s first opportunity with a penalty corner in the sixth minute — a chance that Hoosiers goalkeeper Sadie Canelli appeared to extinguish with a save. But the Terps regained possession following the block, reset their offense, and created a close-range chance for Hope Rose.
The senior midfielder calmly finished the chance to give Maryland a 1-0 lead.
The early goal created momentum for an inspired Terps attack on Friday. Maryland cruised to a 3-0 victory over the Hoosiers at Deborah Tobias Field in a strong all-around showing.
The Terps attacked with more urgency after taking the quick advantage, which led to a second goal in the 13th minute.
A long pass from midfield released Maci Bradford, who made a run in behind the Hoosiers defense. Bradford took the ball past Canelli but was fouled before taking a shot at the open Indiana goal. The result was a direct penalty stroke.
Defender Josie Hollamon made easy work of the set opportunity. She slid a shot to the right side of the goal as Canelli dove in the opposite direction, doubling Maryland’s advantage.
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Alyssa Klebasko’s services were scarcely required with the Terps spending the majority of the game in Indiana’s half. Yet, the sophomore shot stopper made her presence felt in the necessary moments.
Indiana attacked with greater urgency at the beginning of the second quarter. Even though the Hoosiers didn’t manage a shot on goal from the period of play, they got close.
After hitting the stick of a Maryland defender, a long pass from Indiana’s midfield was deflected directly on goal. Klebasko knocked the ball down and away from her goal to stuff out Indiana’s best open-play chance of the game.
Klebasko only had to make three saves throughout the afternoon. The Hoosiers fired their other five attempts off target.
Maryland stayed in complete control during the second quarter, but couldn’t add another score before the break. The Terps quickly added to their 2-0 advantage after halftime.
A green card in the 35th minute gave the Terps a 11-on-10 advantage, which Hope Rose made the most of less than a minute later.
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Graduate student Emma DeBerdine — standing a few feet beyond the 23-meter line — played a pass to Rose, who had found a pocket of space between a cohort of Indiana defenders. Rose had her back toward goal as she initially controlled the ball, but quickly turned to her right and dribbled just inside of the shooting circle.
With two defenders closing down her, Rose split the pair with a blistering shot that beat Canelli at her far post.
Rose’s brace was Maryland’s third goal of the game and her fourth of the season. The senior midfielder has had fewer scoring chances since dropping into midfield this year. But on Friday, she displayed the clinical finishing that was more often seen when she was on the forward line, with two goals on three shot attempts.
Maryland absorbed the Hoosiers’ attacking pressure after taking the commanding three-goal lead. Indiana kept pushing forward, but never looked truly threatening on the attack as the Terps were able to put most of their players behind the ball to maintain the shutout.
The 3-0 victory was Maryland’s first true road win of the season. The Terps will look to add to that tally as they stay in the midwest for a clash at No. 10 Iowa on Sunday.
