No. 2 Maryland lurk behind No. 1 Northwestern: undefeated on the season and in the Big Ten Conference

Maryland’s Kendall Gilmore possesses the ball, while Penn State’s Kira Takahaski-Trader pressures her. Photo: Maryland Athletics

Maryland’s 4-1 road win over Penn State last Friday did more than keep the Terrapins perfect: it gave them a 1-0 start in Big Ten play and helped propel them from No. 5 to No. 2 in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll.  

Maryland is now 8-0 overall after following the conference-opening victory on Friday and then a 1-0 win over then-No. 4 Wake Forest on Sunday. Penn State, 0-1 in conference play, dropped two in a row and are trying to spark a winning streak.

Against Penn State, Maryland controlled the opening half and struck first when sophomore Brinkley Eyre redirected Maia Adamson’s shot 5:28 into the game for her first career goal. 

The Terrapins put seven shots on target before halftime, while goalkeeper Aby Deverka kept the Nittany Lions within reach. 

Penn State answered on its only penalty corner of the game.  

Ella Gaitan scored in the 36th minute from Olivia Marthins’ insert and Sienna Dunn’s stop, tying the contest at 1-1 and giving the Nittany Lions renewed momentum as rain intensified in Happy Valley. 

Maryland responded with three goals in the fourth quarter. Babs van Hest intercepted a pass and scored the go-ahead goal in the 47th minute, Ella Beach finished a feed from Feliz Kuhne just over three minutes later, and Maci Bradford added the final goal after Penn State pulled Deverka for an extra attacker. 

Penn State coach Hannah Prince said the Nittany Lions “really focused on making some tactical changes that were necessary and getting them to lock in” at halftime. Even as the conditions worsened, Prince said she “didn't want to go down without a fight,” and the decision to add an extra attacker reflected that approach. 

The result gave Maryland its 10th conference-opening victory since joining the Big Ten in 2014 and established an early place near the top of the league table.  

The subsequent shutout of Wake Forest strengthened the Terps’ national résumé and pushed them up three spots in the Sept. 22 poll, behind only unbeaten Northwestern.  

Maryland returns to Big Ten play Friday at home against Rutgers. 

*Simmie Samra is a student-intern at Penn State University.

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