In a windy affair in Evanston, Ill., No. 4 Maryland field hockey began its weekend in the Big Ten/ACC Cup with a well-deserved 2-0 victory over No. 17 Boston College.
It didn’t take long for the Terps to get started. Just over 90 seconds into the game, Hope Rose intercepted a clearance from the Eagles defense and sent the ball forward to Fleur Knopert, who then played the ball to Maci Bradford streaking down the sideline. With pressure from the defense, Bradford cut past her defender and popped the ball inside to freshman forward Ella Gaitan, who turned and scored her first goal of the season.
In the second quarter, the game began to settle down as both teams retreated into the trenches. With a scrappy, midfield-heavy showing on display, the best chances of the first half came from direct, line-breaking balls from deep.
With just over 10 minutes to go in the second quarter, Boston College’s Yani Zhong sent a ball forward to Klara Mueffelmann, who mismanaged her touch as Alyssa Klebasko made a sliding save.
Eight minutes later, Knopert cut loose. Forced between a shot from a narrow angle and a pass to two teammates darting toward the goal line, Knopert split the difference, leaving the Terps still searching to capitalize on their advantage.
Coming out of halftime, Maryland maintained control, effectively diffusing the threats of Zhong and Peyton Hale in midfield.
But Boston College refused to give up without a fight. It was going to take something special to break down Boston College again, and luckily for the Terps, Maya Everett was up to the task.
Everett closed down freshman defender Noortje Reijnders on Maryland’s side of the field and won the ball before spinning away. She then put her head down and made a beeline for the goal. Everett burst past three defenders before lifting the ball over the stick of a fourth defender and past the Eagles goalkeeper, giving the Terps an insurance goal.
With two goals in hand, the Terps sat back on their lead, and Boston College enjoyed increased possession. Three straight penalty corners early in the fourth quarter questioned Maryland’s defense, but two blocked shots and a solid save by Klebasko epitomized the defensive effort of a Terps team that never truly looked threatened.
With just over eight minutes to go in the game, Zhong collected a yellow card for Boston College. Without its midfield engine, it appeared as though Boston College’s race was run. However, a green card on Annemijn Klijnhout offered the Eagles another string of chances that nearly capitalized.
Two shots from consecutive penalty corners evaded the Terps’ shell. Klebasko made two stellar saves, the first with her body and the second with her stick arm to keep the Eagles off the scoresheet.
Boston College continued to hound the Terps, pulling its goalkeeper with two minutes left. However, the move proved to be too little, too late as Maryland closed out its third win of the season.
Three things to know
1. Fresh faces. Maryland’s goal scorers — Gaitan and Everett — each tallied the first goal of their collegiate careers today.
2. An unassailable shell. For the second straight year, Maryland has conceded just one goal in its opening three games. While that stretch occurred against three unranked teams in 2023, the Terps did it while playing the No. 7- and No. 17-ranked teams in the nation this time around.
3. All even in the cup. With today’s win against Boston College and Northwestern’s earlier triumph over Duke, the Big Ten has now drawn level with the ACC in Big Ten/ACC Cup wins. The teams will swap opponents on Sunday, and with Maryland playing in the first game of the doubleheader at noon against Duke, it will have a chance to put the Big Ten ahead.
