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Maryland field hockey heads to Evanston, Illinois, to continue its quest for another Big Ten championship. The team faces Ohio State on Friday, and if the Terps win, they’ll play in the Big Ten championship game Sunday.
Possible championship opponents include second-seed Michigan and sixth-seed Iowa, who defeated Penn State, the only Big Ten team to take down Maryland, in the quarterfinals. That game would take place Sunday at 2 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
The Big Ten also released its yearly awards this week, and the Terrapins were recognized in full force. Senior captain Linnea Gonzales was named Big Ten Player of the Year and was the only unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten first team. Sophomore defender Bodil Keus joined Gonzales on the first team and was named Defensive Player of the Year as well.
The awards just kept coming with Nike Lorenz earning a spot on the second team, Bibi Donraadt being named Freshman of the Year and Olivia Reiter earning the Sportsmanship Award.
Friday’s game between the Terrapins and Buckeyes starts at 1 p.m. ET on BTN2Go.
No. 19 Ohio State (12-7, 5-4 Big Ten)
Head coach: Jarred Martin, 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year
Players to know
Esther Clotet: The junior midfielder from Barcelona, Spain, leads the Buckeyes in goals with 11 on the season so far and has added four assists. She is also responsible for three game-winning goals, so Maryland’s ability to keep her off the scoring sheet will be huge.
Kelsey Nolan: The senior midfielder became the first Ohio State player to earn this award since 2015 thanks to a considerable breakout season. She’s scored three goals and assisted five more after having just two points in her career before this season. Her leadership has been crucial to the Buckeyes’ success this fall.
Strength
Offense: The Buckeyes have shown a tremendous ability to put shots up this year. They average nearly six more shots per game, leading to a goal differential of +1.42 this season. One key is their ability to draw penalty corners, as they also have taken 134 corners this season and given up just 74 to opponents.
Previous matchup
The Terrapins were able to edge Ohio State at home to earn their 10th win in a row to start the season. Bodil Keus scored in the third minute and Maryland continued pressing the Buckeyes, but to no avail. Twenty-one shots from the Terrapins compared to just three from the Buckeyes showed that Maryland could have made this matchup much worse if it were more on point with its shots.