The Terps aim for revenge against the Blue Devils.
Head coach Missy Meharg’s 37th season leading Maryland field hockey has been one defined by growth. Across the last 12 weeks of play, Maryland (13-6, 6-2 Big Ten) has played a brutal schedule in preparation for the NCAA Tournament.
The elation of victories against Iowa and Michigan sharply contrasted with gut-wrenching losses against Ohio State and, most recently, Michigan again in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Now, as they enter the national tournament, the Terps have the perfect yardstick of a match to measure just how far they have come this season.
Maryland faces off against Duke on Friday at 1:30 p.m, with the matchup available to stream on ESPN Plus. The Blue Devils handed the Terps their first loss of the season, 1-0, on Sept. 8.
The game will be played in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with the winner facing either undefeated No. 1-seed North Carolina or Delaware on Sunday.
“I’m excited for the team,” Meharg said. “We know [Duke], we played them in the second weekend of the season and get an opportunity to avenge that loss to them. And of course, the possibility of being able to play North Carolina is exciting.”
Duke Blue Devils (12-6, 6-2 ACC)
Maryland played Duke at Northwestern’s field as part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge and lost a close game, 1-0. It was a statement victory for Duke head coach Pam Bustin, who played for Meharg on the 1996 Atlanta Olympic team. Bustin is in her 14th season in charge of the Blue Devils and led them to the NCAA Tournament semifinals in 2023.
The Blue Devils had trouble attacking Maryland in the September matchup, with their only on-target shot producing the game’s lone goal. Duke relied on its defense and goalkeeping to stymie the Terps. Maryland earned four penalty corners and took 10 shots to Duke’s three, but could not unlock Duke’s defense.
The strategy worked well not just against Maryland, but throughout the season. Duke forced 11 shutouts, second in the country, and allowed just 12 goals all season, the third-least in the country. The Blue Devils finished in a three-way tie for second in the ACC and were knocked out of the ACC Tournament semifinals by Boston College.
How they got here
Maryland and Duke have had remarkably similar paths thus far. Their records are near-identical, with Maryland at 13-6 and Duke at 12-6. Maryland was 6-5 against ranked opponents in the regular season, compared to Duke’s 5-5 record in such games.
Both teams were knocked out in their conference semifinals after failing to score in a shootout. Now, both teams have their backs against the wall and will need to play at or near their best to advance from the second round.
Three things to know
1. Terps looking to extend second-round success. Maryland has advanced to become one of the final eight teams in seven straight NCAA Tournaments, last failing to do so in 2015. This is the longest active streak in Division I field hockey.
2. Can the Terps buck the trend against Duke? Maryland is 4-7 in its last 11 games against Duke, including one-goal losses in their last two matchups. Maryland beat Duke, 3-2, in the quarterfinals the last time these teams met in the NCAA Tournament.
3. Maryland must continue scoring first. After conceding the first goal in nine of its opening 10 games without a clean sheet, Maryland got on the board first in back-and-forth contests against Penn State and Michigan. Avoiding needing to play from behind — especially against a stout Duke defense — could be critical for the Terps.