Maryland field hockey plays one of the country’s toughest schedules every season. The Terps compete in the Big Ten — which currently features five top-15 ranked teams — and play several challenging non-conference matchups before conference play begins.
“The NCAA, it’s a 13-week tournament, and we’ve got a great schedule,” coach Missy Meharg said. “We always play the top. I always say, play the best, and you’ll have an opportunity to be the best.”
The Terps narrowly won late in Sunday’s match against No. 13 Saint Joseph’s. Sophomore Ella Gaitan scored the game-winning goal off a penalty corner with 21 seconds remaining, providing a 1-0 victory.
Half of the Terps’ first six games have been against ranked opponents. No. 10 Maryland enters conference play this weekend with four-straight ranked opponents looming.
If their recent history is indicative, the Terps can handle the tough slate.
The Terps last played six consecutive ranked opponents in 2019 and went undefeated, including wins over four teams in the top 10. Maryland was the regular season champions and advanced to the elite eight that season.
[Ella Gaitan’s last-minute goal lifts Maryland field hockey over Saint Joseph’s, 1-0]
The Terps’ last four-game regular-season stretch against ranked opponents came in 2022, when they went 3-1, fueling their final four trips in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. During that stretch, they defeated Rutgers, Virginia and UConn, but fell to Penn State — the team they face this Friday.
The squads’ rivalry stretches back before Maryland entered the Big Ten in 2014. Meharg noted the Nittany Lions have been a formidable opponent for the Terps since their days in the ACC.
But she thinks her team has the advantage ahead of the team’s upcoming clash.
“You can always expect a really athletic game of vibrant competition,” Meharg said. “I don’t feel they are as technical or tactical as we are, but they’re certainly as athletic and competitive. So we need to play smart.”
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The Terps’ next ranked matchups include home games against the two teams ahead of them in the national rankings: No. 8 Michigan on Sunday — which has only lost to No. 2 North Carolina— and No. 9 Princeton next Friday.
The final contest of the gauntlet is a trip to Columbus to face No. 14 Ohio State. The Buckeyes have taken two of the top-11 teams into overtime and lost to No. 3 Virginia on a fourth-quarter goal.
Maryland didn’t meet its lofty standards last season. The Terps’ regular-season win total of 13 was their lowest since 1994, and they lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015.
All seven of Maryland’s losses came by one goal last season, including one to Northwestern on a penalty corner. After beating ranked Saint Joseph’s the same way Sunday, the Terps have already began improving upon last season’s woes.
“Yeah, I think [the offensive success] is contagious … and we never give up,” junior goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko said. “Even though it’s late in the game, we’re going to fight to that last second.”
