No. 9 Maryland field hockey collects its third straight win as it takes down American, 4-0

With No. 9 Maryland field hockey holding a 3-0 advantage over American with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, junior midfielder Emma Deberdine proceeded to top off the Terps’ strong performance.

Deberdine sprinted into the middle of American’s defense and corralled a rebound that she was able to put into the back of the Eagles cage to give Maryland its fourth goal of the afternoon.

Deberdine’s goal was the exclamation point for Maryland in its Sunday game against American, as it helped the Terps to a 4-0 road victory.

“We’re getting better every day, and that’s our goal, to improve every day. We have real weapons in the front seven,” Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said.

Maryland made the short trip for a matchup with the American Eagles at the William I Jacob Recreational Complex in Washington, D.C. to see if the Terps could continue their two-game winning streak.

As soon as the game began, it was obvious that American’s game plan was to smother Maryland on the offensive end with defensive pressure and throw multiple bodies at Maryland’s attackers. The Terps struggled to generate much room in the opening frame, but it soon broke through.

With about five and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter, Maryland star forward Bibi Donraadt stole the ball and immediately got the Terps in transition in a two-on-one play, where she found a trailing Hope Rose on her left side, and the freshman forward scored the first goal of the match to officially give the Terps the early 1-0 lead.

Then, Donraadt once again was the catalyst for the Terps soon after and made an impactful play on the defensive end to put Maryland in business.

After Donraadt’s defensive pressure with eight and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter, she proceeded to make a beautiful move and maneuvered her way down the right side of the sideline, and she ultimately unleashed an impressive shot that swished through the left side of the cage to put Maryland up 2-0.

Maryland’s defense, which was stout against American through the first half, has been outstanding the past two games, as redshirt senior forward Mayv Clune and others on the roster have caused opponents havoc in the passing lanes.

Clune made a great effort and recorded a magnificent steal, as she stepped directly in front of the ball and intercepted the ball to lead the Terps into transition. Though Maryland wasn’t able to come away with a goal after the steal, it was one example of the defensive prowess that the Terps exhibited all afternoon.

The second quarter saw Maryland extend its defense to enhance its defensive pressure and create turnovers in bunches.

With a little less than seven in the second quarter, Maryland almost received a fantastic goal from Julianna Tornetta on a third consecutive penalty corner, however, her initial goal would quickly be overturned by the officials to keep Maryland’s advantage at two.

But, even after the Terps had their third goal called back, they finally broke through once more to extend their lead. With just over five minutes in the third quarter, Donraadt was on the receiving end of Maryland’s offensive success again. She made a powerful spin move and wired a shot into the left side of American’s cage to give Maryland a 3-0 advantage, which seemed to be enough to put its opponents away for good.

Maryland was cruising all the way into the fourth quarter and it even added some insurance to its goal total.

With just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Emma DeBerdine fired a precise shot that sailed into the back of American’s cage to give Maryland an unreachable 4-0 advantage.

The Terps’ defense stifled the Eagles the rest of the way, as Maryland was able to register its fourth shutout of the season.

The Terps’ offense was dominant all afternoon long and the final shot total was one that was clearly in Maryland’s favor. When all was said and done with Maryland’s four-goal outing on the road, the Terps had 27 shots compared to the Eagles’ five.

Maryland will now set its sights to Thursday for a showdown with No. 5 Northwestern at the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park as the Terps are riding a three-game winning streak.

Three things to know

1. Hope Rose continues to make an impact for the Terps. The freshman has scored three goals in two games. The highly-touted freshman appears to be hitting her mark and asserting herself as a scoring machine for the Terps. Rose has been an important force on offense for Maryland and it’ll be important to look out for her on-going contributions as the season continues.

2. Maryland’s defense continued to limit its opponent’s scoring opportunities. The Terps’ speed and athleticism allows them to trap their opponents in compromising positions to force turnovers that’ll ignite their offense. That’s exactly what happened against American, as the Eagles struggled mightily to get anything going on offense. After the 4-0 victory, Maryland has now recorded four shutouts in its first nine games to start the season.

3. Maryland’s offense has exploded in its past two games. Maryland has scored an impressive 12 goals over its last two contests, while recording six goals combined in the first quarter of each match against Indiana and American. The offense is clearly starting to click in lethal ways, and the Terps’ record is benefitting from the team’s scoring barrage as of late.