No. 1 Maryland Suffers First Defeat of Season, 4-2 To No. 2 Northwestern

Thursday, October 22

Evanston, IL

8 PM

Maryland

(14-1 (5-1Big Ten))

Northwestern

(15-1 (6-0Big Ten))

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Maryland	1	1	0	0	2
Northwestern	1	0	0	3	4

Maryland stands for the anthem against Northwestern

10/22/2026 8:00:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

The Terps became only the third team this season to score multiple goals on the Wildcats.

EVANSTON, IL — The No. 1 Terps battled No. 2 Northwestern in a top-ranked bout on Thursday night, but the Wildcats scored thrice in the fourth quarter to deal Maryland its first loss of 2026, 4-2. Two young stars scored for the Terps, but they fell to 14-1 (5-1 Big Ten) on the season.

Illinois native Ella Beach opened the scoring in the 12th minute with her third career goal. Northwestern tied the game in the 15th minute after the freshman's heroic strike off a corner. Beach finished the top-two clash with a goal and an assist.

Welcome back home, 8️⃣ #bestofthebest https://t.co/aPvyz5Es5b
— Maryland Field Hockey (@TerpsFH) October 23, 2026

Jordyn Hollamon scored a goal of her own in the second quarter as Maryland became just the third team this season to score multiple goals against the Wildcats. The sophomore's seventh of the year gave the Terps a 2-1 lead at the half.

Jordy's seventh goal of the year is a B1G one 🔥 #bestofthebest https://t.co/c00zClHU7T
— Maryland Field Hockey (@TerpsFH) October 23, 2026

The Wildcats scored a trio of fourth-quarter goals to tie the game and take their first lead. Alyssa Klebasko made all three of her saves in the final frame, but Northwestern held on to improve to 15-1 (6-0 Big Ten) in 2026. The Wildcats' Olivia Bent-Cole recorded a hat trick in their win.

The 36th all-time meeting between two elite programs did not disappoint. Maryland's unbelievable 2026 season still has everything on its plate, and the Terps gained considerable experience on Thursday night. They'll look to rebound on the road against No. 13 Indiana on Sunday.

How it Happened:
1st Quarter:

Feliz Kuhne recorded the night's first shot in the fourth minute.
Beach's goal (3) opened the scoring in the 11th minute with assists from Francisca Eschoyez (3) and Babs van Hest (10).
Northwestern tied the game with a goal late in the quarter.
The clash was tied after 15 minutes of action.

2nd Quarter:

Maci Bradford put a shot wide in the opening minutes.
Jordyn Hollamon put Maryland back in front with a goal (7) off a corner in the 29th minute with assists from Bradford (13) and Beach (5).
Maryland held Northwestern shotless in the second quarter and led 2-1 at the break.

3rd Quarter:

Maryland applied pressure with four corners in 15 minutes.
The Terps held the Wildcats shotless in the scoreless third quarter.

4th Quarter:

Northwestern tied the game on its first shot in over 31 minutes.
Klebasko made her first save in the 50th minute.
Klebasko made two more saves in the 52nd minute.
The Wildcats took their first lead on a corner midway through the frame.
Northwestern added a fourth goal in the 56th minute.
A shot on goal from van Hest applied pressure late.
The Wildcats closed out their dramatic 4-2 win.

Numbers to Know:

2: Thursday marked just the second time this season that the Terps have trailed in a game.
3: Maryland became just the third team to score multiple goals against Northwestern this season.
7: Maryland has only allowed seven goals in six conference games in 2026.
13: Bradford's 13 assists this season lead the team.
31: The Terps held the Wildcats without a shot for a 31-minute, 48-second span between the end of the first quarter and the start of the fourth.
36: Maryland and Northwestern met for the 36th time on Thursday night.