The No. 2-seeded Terps begin their postseason against No. 7-seed Iowa
No. 2-seed Maryland field hockey gets its first crack at the postseason Thursday against No. 7-seed Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
When Maryland visited Iowa earlier in the season, goals from Annemijn Klijnhout, Maci Bradford, Hope Rose and Ella Gaitan twice helped the Terps to an emphatic 5-0 win over the Hawkeyes. Now, Iowa will look to exact some revenge against the tournament hosts.
“We’ve been waiting to have this tournament back here since 2015, and we’ve got a whole new, fresh blood of great Maryland athletes. To showcase that is going to be really outstanding,” head coach Missy Meharg said.
Thursday’s game will begin at 2 p.m and stream on Big Ten Plus.
What’s happened since
Iowa (9-6, 2-6 Big Ten)
The Hawkeyes entered their Oct. 6 matchup against Maryland with a 6-3 record, looking like one of the stronger teams in the country; they had only conceded nine goals, five of which came in a 5-0 defeat at Northwestern.
After the Terps beat them by the same scoreline, the Hawkeyes went into a tailspin. Iowa ended its season 3-5, dropping a game against Michigan State in the Spartans’ only conference win. The Hawkeyes barely managed to secure the final seed in the Big Ten Tournament; Iowa needed a loss from Penn State against Maryland on the final day of the regular season to get this far.
However, in the middle of the mire, Iowa traveled to then-No. 3 Ohio State and beat the Buckeyes, 3-0. There is clearly still quality in this program, and despite the seeding, the Terps will have to be at their best to advance their trophy hunt.
Maryland (12-5, 6-2 Big Ten)
Meharg’s young team has gradually grown into its own over the last 10 weeks. Having won their final two conference games of the regular season and six of eight since the Iowa matchup, the Terps locked up the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Terps needed some help to get there, however. Losses to Northwestern and Ohio State left Maryland with two defeats early in the season, giving advantage to one-loss teams Ohio State and Michigan. The Buckeyes and Wolverines both faltered as the season ended, though, losing two of their last three conference games to hand the second seed right back to Maryland.
“I look at every game as a new battle,” Meharg said. “It’s knockout. So, I don’t really care if it’s somebody we’ve beaten or somebody we have lost to.”
Three things to know
1. Dionne van Aalsum heating up. van Aalsum, Division I’s top goalscorer last year, was not at her best in Iowa’s last matchup against the Terps. However, she comes into this game with far more momentum; she has five goals in her last six games.
2. Maryland holds all-time advantage. Maryland has lost in College Park against Iowa just once ever. Hosting the tournament gives the Terps a pseudo home game, in which they average three goals a game against the Hawkeyes.
3. College Park tripleheader on Thursday. The Terps play in the second of three games in the quarterfinal round, all of which will be played at College Park’s Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. No. 4-seed Rutgers and No. 5-seed Ohio State face off at 11 a.m. and No. 3-seed Michigan and No. 6-seed Indiana will play at 5 p.m. With a win, the Terps will play the winner of the latter game on Friday at 3:30 p.m.