No. 5 Maryland field hockey midfielder Emma DeBerdine readied on a penalty corner just a few minutes into the second quarter. The graduate student played an entry pass directly to Hope Rose.
Rose controlled the entry and dribbled into the penalty circle, patiently searching for an opening before taking a shot. The senior’s attempt initially rolled wide. But freshman Ella Gaitan deflected the shot past No. 10 Iowa goalkeeper Mia Magnotta.
Gaitan’s goal gave the Terps a one-goal lead. They dominated after that, scoring four second-half goals to comfortably defeat the Hawkeyes, 5-0, at Grant Field Sunday afternoon. The win was Maryland’s fourth over a ranked opponent this season.
Both sides put a shot on target in the first quarter. They came the same way.
Maryland (7-3, 3-1 Big Ten) had the first look on an early penalty corner, but Iowa’s defense denied its shot on-goal. A lengthy review resulted in a Hawkeyes corner just a few minutes later. Terps goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko made a reactionary kick-save to keep the game scoreless.
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Iowa (6-4, 1-3 Big Ten) maintained the majority of possessions even after falling behind. But its attacking build-up play was methodical, allowing Maryland to comfortably absorb the pressure.
The Terps — relying on their midfield speed — pushed forward on a counter midway through the second quarter, leading to several penalty corners. They got shots off in every opportunity but couldn’t convert, partly due to a couple of clean saves from Magnotta.
Iowa, still looking for an equalizer, couldn’t capitalize on its final open look of the first half.
The Hawkeyes won its second penalty corner of the game just over a minute before the break. They kept their penalty corner simple with a straight shot from the entry pass, but the powerful attempt sailed wide past the right post of Klebasko’s cage.
Gaitan’s penalty corner deflection stood as the lone first-half goal. Maryland entered halftime up 1-0. The Terps wasted little time following the break — midfielder Annemijn Klijnhout doubled the lead less than five minutes after the restart.
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Klijnhout benefited from a chaotic scramble in front of Iowa’s goal. Surrounded by Hawkeyes and fellow teammates, the freshman found space to flick a shot past Magnotta. The goal was the first goal of Klijnhout’s career.
Gaitan added a second score of the day in the dwindling minutes of the third quarter. The forward once again showed off her instincts with a clever finish from a penalty corner.
Maryland’s third goal all-but sealed Sunday’s victory as the Terps’ defense controlled the rest of Iowa’s attacks. Klebasko didn’t need to do much in the second half, but made timely blocks to clear the ball whenever Iowa got close.
Another strong performance saw Klebasko grab her second shutout in as many games.
Maryland’s offense struck twice more — courtesy of Rose and Maci Bradford — in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter as the Terps’ onslaught continued. The five-goal victory was Maryland’s largest conference win in over two years.
