Maryland field hockey moves to 10-0 with 1-0 win over Ohio State

After a big comeback against Princeton, Maryland field hockey returned to form and defeated Ohio State 1-0 in College Park on Friday.

A dominating defensive performance, coupled with a shot differential of +19, helped No. 3 Maryland (10-0) hold onto its one-goal advantage. The Terrapins finished the contest with a whopping 22 shots (compared to Ohio State’s three) and had 11 of those shots land on target.

Similar to their last match against Princeton, the Terrapins got on the scoreboard early. A penalty corner under three minutes in resulted in a goal by Bodil Keus, her fourth of the season.

The rest of the first half would show Maryland’s return dominant play, as the Terrapins held a 1-0 lead after 35 minutes. They held a 10-3 lead in shots, with three shots on goal compared to just one from the Buckeyes.

In the second half, Maryland really keyed in on defense and kept Ohio State off the board. The Buckeyes didn’t even register a shot throughout the entire second half, while Maryland fired 11 shots and put eight on goal.

Maryland’s best chances to add a second goal came by way of three penalty corners in the final 20 minutes. Ohio State goalkeeper Aaliyah Hernandez came up with a key save on the first attempt, and the Buckeyes’ defense kept the other two shots from reaching the goal.

In the end, Maryland held a one-goal lead for over 67 minutes.

Three things to know

1. Maryland’s defense was able to answer the call. After giving up four unanswered goals to Princeton in the middle of Tuesday’s game, the Terrapins really dominated Ohio State in each third of the field. The midfield did a great job of limiting chances to attack, and the defense did well in closing off those attempts.
2. Sarah Holliday responded well after being pulled. Holliday gave up three goals in 35 minutes of play against Princeton, but held the Buckeyes scoreless through 70 minutes on Friday. Her save in the first half was also Maryland’s first in over 100 minutes of play.
3. Another test looms on Sunday. The Terrapins will host No. 8 Michigan as Big Ten play continues. The Wolverines have shown some weaknesses with three losses to ranked teams, including No. 1 Connecticut and No. 2 North Carolina. Senior forward Emma Way has 10 goals and two assists on the season, so if Maryland can keep her in check, they should be able to handle Michigan.