No. 9 Maryland field hockey vs. No. 12 Duke preview

The No. 9 Maryland Terrapins take on the Duke Blue Devils at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium in Durham, NC at 2 p.m. in the finale of the Big Ten/ACC Cup on Sunday.

Maryland is coming off a narrow defeat to the No. 7 Boston College Eagles on Friday in the opening of the sixth annual Big Ten/ACC Cup, 3-2. The Terrapins were not able to overcome the Eagles’ prolific offense, as they never were able to take the lead in the top 10 showdown.

The Eagles and Terrapins did not waste any time when scoring, as five total goals were scored in the first half.

With less than three minutes remaining in the game, the Terps received a penalty corner with an opportunity to send the game into overtime. Forward Bibi Donraadt made a great insert to midfielder Juliana Tornetta but was unable to cash in as they were denied the ability to tie the game.

Duke lost to Maryland’s Big Ten counterparts the No. 4 ranked Northwestern Wildcats on Friday by a resounding score of 3-0.

The last time Duke and Maryland faced each other was in 2019, as the Blue Devils defeated the Terrapins 1-0. Duke currently leads the series versus the Terrapins in the Big Ten/ACC Cup, with a dominating 4-1 record. Maryland and Duke will rekindle their old ACC rivalry on the campus of the Blue Devils. The Terrapins lead the all-time series 13-4, with a 4-2 record in tournament play.

These two teams also met in the 2005 National Championship that led the Terrapins to ultimately secure that championship.

Now let’s look at the Duke Blue Devils.

Duke Blue Devils (1-2)

2020 record: 4-12 (2-4 ACC)

The Blue Devils are led by a two-time ACC Coach of the Year in Pam Bustin. Bustin is returning to Durham for her 10th season as the leader of Duke University.

Since she’s arrived on campus, Bustin has led Duke University to new heights of success and a promising outlook for the future. Under Bustin’s leadership, the Blue Devils have amassed an impressive 129-69 record.

Duke earned its first ACC regular-season title in 2016, along with reaching No. 1 in the national rankings for the first time in school history. The USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame inductee has coached 20 All-America selections and 30 All-ACC honorees.

Players to know

Hannah Miller, junior forward, No. 3 — Miller returns for her junior season with the Blue Devils, as she is the returning leader in goals from last season registering three on the season. In 2019, Miller started in all 16 games and recorded a season-high five shots. The junior plays with a competitive spirit and consistently makes plays for her team to be in the best position to win the game.

Piper Hampsch, sophomore goalie, No. 16 – Hampsch has been consistently making plays since she has brought her talents to the campus of Duke University. The talented goalie has been consistently rejecting scoring opportunities from her opponents and keeping her team within games with her tenacity to defend the net. In Friday’s loss to No. 4 Northwestern, Hampsch registered an impressive eight saves.

Eva Nunnink, graduate midfielder, No. 10 – Nunnink returns for her graduate season, in which she started all 16 games last season for the Blue Devils. Last season, she recorded eight points and three goals. Nunnink ended the season fifth in the ACC in shots with 43 and sixth in shots per game with 2.69.

Strength

Saves. The Blue Devils are doing an excellent job of limiting opponents’ ability to score on multiple attempts. Duke is currently leading their oppositions in saves with 21 to 13. Duke’s goalie Piper Hampsch has been providing a great sense of security to her team by constantly rejecting opponents scoring intentions. While their record may not be indicative of their superior defense, Hampsch has been a force with protecting her net.

Weakness

Scoring and shots. Duke has been struggling to generate points this season, only averaging a mere 0.75 goals per game. It is difficult to win the games in Division 1 field hockey when you are struggling to generate one goal per game. The Blue Devils do not generate enough pressure on opponents’ goalies to consistently generate enough scoring opportunities to produce points.

Three things to watch

1. Can Maryland’s electric offense control the game? The Terrapins’ offense is one of the best in the country with Brooke DeBerdine and Bibi Donraadt leading the charge, and they must use their talents to generate offense for themselves and their teammates. Maryland is averaging an impressive three goals per game and must exert maximum pressure on Duke’s stingy goalie.

2. Can the Terps take advantage of their penalty corners? The Terrapins had plenty of chances to win their last game versus No.7 Boston College but were unable to convert on their countless number of penalty corners. If the Terps could have converted on half of their six penalty corners, they would have won been in a better position to win the game. The Terrapins must identify ways to score when they are awarded penalty corners versus the Blue Devils, to maximize their scoring opportunities.

3. Will Maryland thrive in transition? The Terrapins are outstanding when they can use their speed in transition to out-hustle their opponents and beat them to the net. Maryland has a great ability to increase the pace of the game with its superior athletes in the trenches of the defense. The Terps are dynamic when Kyler Greenwalt, Brooke DeBerdine, and Bibi Donraadt can get on the edges and pressure opponents’ defense.