No. 13 Maryland field hockey just kicked off their Big Ten/ACC Challenge with a dominant 2-0 win over Boston College, and seriously, their penalty corner game is an absolute game-changer this year. We’re talking about a complete revelation, especially after they struggled with it last season. But right now? They’re dialled in, and that was the difference-maker on Friday night.
Penalty Corners: The Maryland Offense Is Dialed In
The Terps got on the board at the 5:29 mark, when Francisca Eschoyez absolutely hammered a shot past Eagles goalkeeper Charlotte Kramer. And guess what? That was Eschoyez’s third goal of the young season, and every single one has come off a penalty corner. It wasn’t long until they doubled their lead either. At the 9:12 mark of the second quarter, on their second penalty corner of the game, Babs van Hest handled the insert perfectly, setting up Feliz Kuhne. Kuhne buried the shot, giving Maryland its second goal off a penalty corner in as many quarters. This squad is scoring first in all three of their games this young season, and those early goals are doing serious work generating momentum. It was a track-meet pace to open the match, both teams flying up and down the pitch, with Maryland working the sidelines and Boston College trying to exploit the middle. But neither offense really found sustained success in the early going until Maryland’s penalty corner magic started happening.
Defense Held Strong Through Pressure Cooker Minutes
The defense definitely earned their stripes in this one, too. Boston College came out pressing, but senior netminder Alyssa Klebasko was a brick wall, notching a pair of crucial saves in the first quarter, including one off a dangerous centering pass, keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard. Things got wild in the second quarter. Maryland picked up a green card, then a yellow card, putting them down to just 10 players for a full seven minutes. Talk about pressure! But they weren’t deterred. The Eagles had a couple of penalty corners during that time, but Kuhne stepped up and deflected both of them before they could even reach the cage. Even with the disadvantage, van Hest received a long pass, advanced with speed into the attacking third, and centered the ball, forcing another penalty corner that Kuhne cashed in on. Maryland almost made it 3-0 before halftime when Maci Bradford found van Hest wide open on a breakaway. Kramer came out, tripped van Hest, resulting in a penalty stroke. But credit to Kramer, she bounced back and denied Josie Hollamon, keeping it a 2-0 game at the break.
Maryland had more chances to extend the lead early in the third, but van Hest and Maia Adamson were both denied close to the cage, and BC shut down the ensuing penalty corner. Offense was tough to come by the rest of the way. As the clock wound down, Boston College got desperate to avoid a 1-2 start to their season. They had one of their best chances off a penalty corner with about three minutes left, with Madeline Leigh taking a shot after the insert, but the ball was stopped short. This Maryland squad is looking sharp early, and that penalty corner game is going to make them dangerous.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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