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Maryland field hockey falls to Duke, 2-0, at Big Ten/ACC Cup

An aggressive first half by the No. 2 Blue Devils gives the Terps their first loss of the season.

By Gabe Fernandez
Sarah Sopher / Testudo Times

Maryland field hockey lost its first game of the season, 2-1, against a very dominant Duke side in our yearly reminder of the once-celebrated school rivalry at the Big Ten/ACC Cup.

Both squads came into the game having won their first match of the season. Despite holding the all-time series at 32-11-4, the Terps have now dropped four consecutive meetings against the Blue Devils.

Duke struck first less than five minutes into the game when a save from Maryland goalkeeper Sarah Holliday rebounded off the post and fell to Duke forward Ashley Kristen, who scored her first goal of the season. Less than 15 minutes later, Duke doubled their lead off of a goal from senior forward Ainsley Gill off a penalty corner, her first of the season as well.

The highs from Maryland’s side were few and far between. Perhaps the brightest spot was Holliday, who was at least able to notch a career-high in saves with 13. Even one of the goals that was scored was only due to an unfortunate bounce.

That being said, it took over an hour of game time for the Terps to get one of their two shots on goal; meanwhile, Duke was able to get 15. For some perspective, the Blue Devils matched their total shots on goal from last year’s game against Maryland just two minutes into the second half.

Maryland will play its next game of the tournament on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET against No. 12 Boston College.

Three things to know

  1. A Duke loss always sucks, but it’s still early in the season. Even with a career game from Sarah Holliday, Duke’s offense looked sharp enough to cut a diamond. But the Blue Devils’ starting lineup is loaded with a senior squad, while Maryland is showing four of its freshman some serious minutes.
  2. The Terps found some groove late. Two shots on goal isn’t too much to hang a hat on, but the fact that Maryland forced Duke defenders to do some work towards the end is indicative of some progress.
  3. Maryland’s freshman class got important minutes. These experiences from Kyler Greenwalt, Brooke Deberdine, Sophie Giezeman, and Hannah Bond, will prove to be important when the season continues and conference play begins.

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