The Terps earn their sixth straight victory.
No. 9 Maryland field hockey dismembered No. 5 Iowa’s elite defense early and often Friday in College Park.
The Terps scored two quick goals in the first 10 minutes of the game, and then two more in the final 17 minutes of play.
Iowa could only muster one goal in response, as the Terps secured their sixth straight win, 4-1.
Hannah Boss was the primary contributor on the offensive end, scoring her third and fourth goals of the season.
The first came nine minutes into the game when the midfielder intercepted the ball from Iowa midfielder Gia Whalen, dribbled through a slew of yellow jerseys and then rifled the ball into the cage from the top of the striking circle.
Then, one minute into the fourth quarter, she scored her second and the final goal of the game. After the ball deflected off numerous sticks, it made its way to Boss, who sliced it into the right side of the net, beating Iowa goalkeeper Mia Magnotta’s outstretched leg.
Head coach Missy Meharg emphasized the importance of penalty corners after being outshot, 8-3, last week at Ohio State, and the Terps delivered in their first opportunity Friday. Nearly 90 seconds into the game, Sammy Popper received the ball off two quick passes after Margot Lawn’s initial insert. Popper, without hesitation, fired the ball past Magnotta for the first score of the game.
Popper has scored in four consecutive games, and now ranks 10th in the Big Ten with eight goals.
Iowa had multiple chances to match the Terps’ scoring flurry in the first half, but Maryland’s defense held strong. The Hawkeyes earned three penalty corners in the half, but they resulted in two blocked shots and one save.
Their lone goal of the game came at the top of the fourth quarter. Freshman goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko stopped the Hawkeyes’ initial opportunity, but could not save the ensuing penalty corner, as Iowa’s Annika Herbine snuck the ball in.
Maryland’s third goal was scored at the end of the third quarter, when defender Nathalie Fiechter tapped in a rebound for her first goal of the season.
Three things to now
1. Good things happen when the Terps score first. Maryland is now 12-2 when scoring first. Its first goal against the Hawkeyes was Maryland’s 12th recorded in the first six minutes this season.
2. Iowa’s stout defense was exposed. The Hawkeyes entered the match second in the Big Ten in goals allowed (9) and save percentage (.830). The Terps had their way, though, tallying their second-highest scoring total of the season.
3. Maryland defeated another ranked opponent. The Terps dominated perhaps their toughest three-game stretch of the season, beating then-No. 16 Michigan, 1-0, then-No. 9 Ohio State, 2-1, and now Iowa.