Maryland Field Hockey Faces Old Dominion in NCAA Tournament First Round
After a tough double-overtime loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament championship last Sunday, Maryland field hockey snagged the No. 4 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. They’re all set to take on Old Dominion this Friday. College Park is the place to be for the opening two rounds, thanks to the Terps’ top-four seed.
Maryland (16-5) pulled off some impressive wins against Iowa and Rutgers during the Big Ten Tournament, earning them a spot as a top-four seed in the tournament. Following a 14-4 regular season, the Terps were ranked as the country’s No. 8 team by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
Head coach Missy Meharg expressed her surprise at the nod, saying, “I was surprised to be honest. I thought the [ACC] had a higher rate of performance and we’d be traveling there … but we’re super excited to be home.”
The Terps are gearing up for their 35th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and have a perfect record against Old Dominion (14-5) in three matchups since joining the Big Ten in 2014.
The match is set to kick off at noon on Friday and will be available for streaming on Big Ten Plus.
Old Dominion Monarchs (14-5, 6-1 Big East)
Old Dominion is on a winning streak, having won its last 12 games. They’re heading up from Norfolk, Va. to College Park after securing their first-ever Big East championship. As the tournament’s No. 2 seed, the Monarchs pulled off an upset against top-seeded Liberty, winning 3-1 in the final with a goal and two assists from junior midfielder Frederique Zandbergen.
The Monarchs, who had a 12-5 record in the regular season after a rough start, are led by 10th-year head coach Andrew Griffiths. Griffiths has a history with Maryland, having been an assistant coach from 1998-99 and again from 2001-2004. He worked with Meharg on Maryland’s 1999 NCAA title team, one of the four Final Four teams he coached with the Terps.
Meharg spoke highly of Griffiths, saying, “We’re great friends and colleagues. It’s going to be a great battle between two very good teams.”
Players to Watch
Marlon de Bruijne, senior forward, No. 7 —
Old Dominion’s attack has revolved around de Bruijne this season. The senior was the only Monarch unanimously recognized as an All-Big East first team selection and has led Old Dominion’s offense with 18 goals and 42 points.
Suus Broers, freshman goalkeeper, No. 44 —
Similar to Maryland goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko, Broers has made an immediate impact as a freshman net-minder. Broers has started all 19 games for Old Dominion, holding a .714 save percentage that earned her Big East Co-Freshman of the Year honors.
Nicole Fredericks, graduate backer, No. 8 —
On Old Dominion’s impressive defense, look for Fredericks to be the anchor. The graduate defender and All Big East first team selection was named Big East Tournament MVP last week for her efforts.
Strength
Goals.
Throughout the regular season, Old Dominion boasted the best attack in their conference. They were the only Big East team to average over three goals per game before postseason play and scored four or more goals in nine matches.
Weakness
NCAA Tournament experience.
By defeating Liberty, Old Dominion secured an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Griffith’s inaugural season in 2012.
Three Things to Keep an Eye On
1. Can Maryland fix its corner disadvantage?
The Terps only got one penalty corner in their Big Ten Tournament games against Rutgers and Northwestern. In the championship loss to the Wildcats, Maryland conceded 17 corners, a new record since joining the conference.
2. Getting back to 100%.
Maryland will host Old Dominion less than a week after playing three games in a four-day span, their only such streak this season.
3. Scoring early.
After scoring in the first half in 12 straight regular season games, the Terps have failed to find a first- or second-quarter goal in any of their three most recent games.