Maryland midfielder Kylee Niswonger dribbled near the right baseline as the Terps searched for an early second half goal at Penn State on Friday. Niswonger fired a pass in front of the cage, where freshman Annemijn Klijnhout deflected it in.
Less than three minutes later, Maci Bradford dribbled along the right baseline before playing a pass into the middle. This time, forward Hope Rose got the score. She laced a shot into the top of the cage to put Maryland ahead by two.
The quick succession of nearly identical scores ignited the Terps’ assertive second-half performance. No. 7 Maryland field hockey scored three times in the third quarter en route to a 4-2 victory over No. 17 Penn State in its regular season finale.
The Terps also secured a second-place finish in the Big Ten with the win.
Maryland (12-5, 6-2 Big Ten) created early offensive opportunities by beating the Nittany Lions’ aggressive press, which left their defense exposed.
Bradford took advantage by darting forward on a counter attack in the second minute. The sophomore blasted an attempt wide of the cage, but her shot led to Maryland’s offensive ambush.
[Transfer Fleur Knopert is leaving her mark on Maryland field hockey]
The Terps won a succession of penalty corners less than two minutes later. Ella Gaitan turned in the second opportunity by flicking a rebound past Nittany Lion goalkeeper Lauren Delgado. Her score gave the Terps a 1-0 advantage.
Maryland fired three more shots in a dominant opening quarter. Nittany Lion goalkeeper Lauren Delgado blocked two, while a Penn State defender blocked the other.
During that same time, the Nittany Lions took just one shot and couldn’t win a single penalty corner.
Momentum completely shifted in the following quarter as Penn State (8-9, 2-6 Big Ten) controlled the pace of play.
Maryland’s backline leaned on its one-on-one defending in the first quarter. The Terps were consistently clean with their stick checks, dispossessing Nittany Lion forwards whenever they entered the shooting circle.
Defenders Rayne Wright and Josie Hollamon used that efficient defending to contain forward Sophia Gladiuex — the Big Ten’s leader in goals scored — for the first 15 minutes. Gladiuex broke through in the second quarter, notching her 20th goal of the season.
[No. 6 Maryland field hockey rebounds with 3-0 win over Richmond]
Her equalizing score held up for the next 10 minutes as the two teams were tied at one goal apiece entering halftime.
“We had a little bit of chaos in the second quarter and we were able to turn it into organization,” coach Missy Meharg said. “At halftime, we made some really simple adjustments in defense and our front third.”
Klijnhout and Rose’s successive scores helped Maryland break that deadlock early in the second half. The Terps cruised from there on out.
Maryland’s third quarter was reminiscent of its fourth quarter. The Terps took five third-quarter shots and scored three of them.
Rose capped Maryland’s scoring with a brace in the 43rd minute. She flipped her own rebound into the cage, giving the Terps a commanding 4-1 advantage.
Midfielder Sophia Mannino rolled in a goal for the Nittany Lions in the final minute of the game. The late blemish made no difference to the result though, as Terps ended their regular season with a 4-2 victory.
Maryland is now set to host the Big Ten Tournament next week. The second-seeded Terps will take on seventh-seeded Iowa in the opening round on Thursday.
