No. 7 Maryland To Compete With No. 1 Northwestern For Big Ten Title

Thursday, October 26

Evanston, IL

4 PM

Maryland

Northwestern

No. 7 Maryland To Compete With No. 1 Northwestern For Big Ten Title

10/24/2023 3:00:00 PM | Field Hockey

Live Stats Watch Live (BTN)Game Notes

#7 Maryland (14-3) at #1 Northwestern (15-1)

October 26, 2023

Lakeside Field

4:00 PM

Big Ten Network

COLLEGE PARK, MD - No. 7 Maryland field hockey prepares for the biggest and final game of the regular season with No. 1 Northwestern on Thursday, October 26. This game has large implications, as Maryland has an opportunity to clinch its second consecutive Big Ten title and sixteenth all-time regular season championship.

With a win on Thursday, the 2023 Maryland field hockey team will become the fiftieth program in school history to win a Big Ten title since joining the conference in 2014.

series history

Competition with these two programs dates back to 1985. The Terps hold a 19-13 all-time lead over Northwestern. Head coach Missy Meharg has led the Terps to a 19-10 record over the Wildcats.
The Terps are 6-3 in Evanston against Northwestern. The last road win for the Terps came in October of 2022, as Maryland picked up a 2-1 overtime victory.
The last time these programs met was in November of 2022. Northwestern took a 2-1 victory over the Terps in the NCAA Semifinal, ending Maryland's season.
Maryland has clinched six wins over Northwestern since joining the Big Ten in 2014.

Maura Verleg competing in NCAA Final Four against Northwestern

Maura Verleg competing against Northwestern in Final Four (November 18, 2022)

eyes on the title

No. 7 Maryland leaves College Park with a 14-3 overall record. The Terps earned two more Big Ten wins over No. 5 Iowa, 4-1, and Indiana, 2-1, extending their win streak to seven games.
The four goals the Terps scored over Iowa are the most anyone has scored against the Hawkeyes since Oct. 29, 2017. The four goals also tie the most Maryland has ever scored against Iowa, equaling the four the team scored in 2016.
Maryland has outscored its opponents 46-18.
The Terps rank fourth in the Big Ten in goals per game average (2.71) and fourth in points per game average (7.41).
Maryland has allowed only two first quarter goals through 17 games and outscored teams 17-2 in the first fifteen minutes. 12 of those 17 goals happened in the first six minutes of each game.
The Terps are 13-2 in games where they score first and 11-1 when they lead at halftime. Maryland is perfect on the season in games decided by two or more goals.
Maryland is 2-1 against B1G teams on the road, with wins against No. 16 Michigan and No. 9 Ohio State.

Maryland Field Hockey vs. Iowa at Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park, MD on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Brieanna Andrews/Maryland Terrapins

Terps celebrating after Nathalie Fiechter's goal against No. 5 Iowa

b1g time performances

Freshman Alyssa Klebasko started both contests over the weekend. She made five saves against No. 5 Iowa and seven against Indiana, allowing only two goals the entire weekend. She owns the highest save percentage in the NCAA with .881 and the third best goals-against average of .614. Klebasko remains undefeated as a starter, 10-0. Last weekend's performance earned her Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week and her first Terp of the Week honor.
Sophomore Hannah Boss scored a career best two-goals against the Hawkeyes on Friday, doubling her season total. She added the second goal of the night by forcing a turnover and creating her own scoring opportunity in the opening quarter. Boss scored the final goal of the night, answering Iowa's only goal, just 38 seconds after the Hawkeyes' score. Sammy Popper and Nathalie Fiechter tallied the other two goals.
Margot Lawn and Maci Bradford each tallied a goal against Indiana to give the Terps the win on senior day. Lawn added her seventh goal of the year, a new season-high. She now owns 23 points on the year, the second highest on the team. Bradford scored the game-winning goal from an initial save during a penalty corner. She owns 20 points on the year from eight goals and four assists. She leads the team in game-winning goals with four, alongside Sammy Popper.
The Terps utilize the depth of their bench as they average sixteen players participating per match. 13 players have tallied at least one point on the year, including nine goal scorers.

Midfielder Hannah Boss (9)Maryland Field Hockey vs. Iowa at Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park, MD on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Chris Lyons/ Maryland Athletics

Hannah Boss celebrating after goal against No. 5 Iowa

BEst of the Best

Missy Meharg returns for her 36th season as head coach. A nine-time National Coach of the Year recipient, Meharg brings an unprecedented level of consistency and excellence to the Maryland field hockey program.
Meharg became the third coach in Division I history to reach 600 wins in 2021. She is not shy of championships as she has led the Terps to seven national titles, including five in seven years, 12 conference tournament crowns, 15 conference regular season titles and 20 appearances in the NCAA Semifinals round, including 12 in the NCAA Finals.
She is supported by associate head coach Scott Tupper (third season), assistant coach Kasey Tapman Asper (third season) and goalie specialist Natalie Hunter Cyrus (first season).