Maryland Opens League Play with a Win, Wildcats Go West

Conference play is here, and the Big Ten is firing on all cylinders. Maryland opened up the conference schedule with a win over Penn State and defending champion Northwestern is heading west to face ranked California, among the notable weekend matchups. 

Here’s a recap of the opening action and a look ahead to this weekend’s marquee matchups. 

Maryland Opens Up Conference Play with B1G Win 

In the first game of Big Ten play on Thursday night, No. 5 Maryland defeated Penn State 4-1 in Happy Valley to remain undefeated on the season. Sophomore  Brinkley Eyre’s first career goal  opened the scoring in the first quarter, and it remained the only goal in the game until Penn State’s Ella Gaitan tied the game early in the second half. 

With the game all square in the fourth quarter, Babs van Hest scored her fifth goal of the season to give Maryland the lead, and Ella Beach and Maci Bradford added onto the lead. The Terrapins advanced to 7-0 for the 15^th time in program history.  More from the Terps.  

Northwestern heads West to face ranked Cal 

After a 3-1 win against Stanford, No. 1 Northwestern faces No. 18 Cal in Davis, Calif on Saturday. The Bears have started the season with five straight wins, with junior forward Liz Klompmaker leading the team with six goals and 15 points. Cal also has freshman Flore Uges, who became the first Cal Player to earn a national player of the week award when  she was named the NFHCA Defensive Player Of The Week on September 16.  

The defending champion Wildcats already have three ranked wins this season with Ilse Tromp, Ashley Sessa and Olivia Bent-Cole powering the attack. On the other end, Juliana Boon has allowed just five goals in seven games; she will now face a Cal offense that is 18^th in the nation averaging 3.20 goals per game. 

The momentum rolls into a weekend headlined by pivotal showdowns. 

Top-5 Terps welcome in No. 4 Wake Forest 

Fresh off a win over Penn State, Maryland returns to College Park for a test against No. 4 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons bring elite firepower, ranking fourth nationally at 4.80 goals per game behind top scorers Bianca Rees-Gibbs (seven goals) and Ava Moore (six). 

Maryland counters with a potent attack of its own, ranking second in the Big Ten with 25 goals thanks to Francisca Eschoyez (six) and Babs van Hest (five). However, the player to watch may be Terps goalie Alyssa Klebasko. She enters the match with a 6-0 record, having allowed just four goals, setting up a battle between high-powered Wake Forest offense and the Terrapins defense. 

Nittany Lions Face Ranked Monmouth on road 

Penn State heads to New Jersey looking to bounce back against No. 19 Monmouth. The Nittany Lions are battle-tested against elite competition, having dropped tight decisions to Virginia and Princeton also. 

The Hawks present another formidable challenge, leading the nation with 5.20 goals per game behind CAA Offensive Player of the Week Milla Frye (8 goals). To pull off the upset, Penn State will need a standout performance in net from goalkeeper Aby Deverka, who was named NFHCA Division I Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season.

Hawkeyes Host Hoosiers 

No. 2 Iowa has bulldozed through non-conference play, boasting four ranked wins, an NCAA-best 30 goals, and the nation’s top two scorers in Dionne van Aalsum and Fréderique van Cleef (10 goals each). Now, the Hawkeyes open conference play in Iowa City against a hot Indiana squad. 

The Hoosiers arrive on a four-game win streak — with three victories by four or more goals— led by second-year standout Molly Stutte, whose six goals trail only Iowa’s star duo in the Big Ten. Friday’s opener counts toward the conference standings before Sunday’s non-conference series finale. 

There are more games on deck this weekend, including an in-state showdown between Michigan and Michigan State. Check out the full schedule  here.  

Photo from  umterps.com