Indiana field hockey has had a rough start to Big Ten play this season. The Hoosiers hold an 0-3 record, falling to No. 1 Northwestern 5-0 on Sept. 26, then-No. 11 Iowa 3-2 on Sept. 19 and then-No. 14 Rutgers 4-0 last Friday.
The challenges will continue for Indiana, as there are only Big Ten teams left on its schedule this season. The Hoosiers start with a pair of away games this weekend against No. 10 Maryland on Friday and Penn State on Sunday.
Maryland enters the game 4-1 in conference and 8-4 overall. The Terrapins picked up notable wins against then-No. 16 Penn State, then-No. 12 Michigan and then-No. 10 Iowa. Their only conference defeat was a 2-1 overtime loss to Ohio State on Oct. 3 in Columbus, Ohio. Maryland is ranked No. 20 in the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index and returns home after a three-game road trip.
Penn State has had a turbulent start to Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions are 1-4 in the conference, with their only victory coming in a 2-0 win against Michigan State on Sept. 26. Freshman forward/midfielder Olivia Marthins and senior forward/midfielder Ella Jennes both scored in the fourth quarter to seal the game. Since that win, Penn State has lost four consecutive games on the road.
Meet the Terrapins
Maryland has 22 goals scored and 91 shots on goal this season, which ranks them seventh in the Big Ten in both categories. The Terrapins average 1.83 goals per game — which ranks them 57th in the NCAA — with their highest scoring performance coming against Villanova University in a 4-0 win on Aug. 31. Seven Terrapins have scored one goal this season, with only four of them scoring two or more.
Maryland is led offensively by freshman midfielder/defender Jordyn Hollamon. The Delaware native has a team-high six goals and 28 shots on goal this season. Jordyn Hollamon and her older sister, junior defender Josie Hollamon, both scored last game in a 2-1 win over Iowa. For their performances, Josie won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and Jordyn picked up the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award. Second-leading scorer sophomore forward Ella Gaitan has five goals this season and is coming off a Big Ten All-Second Team selection last season.
Junior forward Maci Bradford leads the Terrapins in assists and points this year. The Delaware native has eight assists to go along with four goals for 16 points, which ties her for 10th in the Big Ten.
Junior goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko has started every game in net for Maryland. She has 42 saves and a 1.01 goals against average. A 77.8% save percentage ranks the Odenton, Maryland, native fourth in the conference.
Meet the Nittany Lions
The Penn State offense has been stagnant for most of the season. The Nittany Lions have a second-worst 21 goals and 83 shots on goal in the Big Ten. Penn State is also last in the Big Ten for assists with 11. They have only scored over two goals in two matches this season. The Nittany Lions defeated the University of Delaware 3-2 in double overtime on Sept. 5 and Kent State University 5-2 on Sept. 14.
Freshman forward/midfielder Joji Purdy has a team-high four goals and 18 shots on goal. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native has not started a game this season for the Nittany Lions, and her last goal came in a 3-2 loss to Syracuse University on Sept. 28.
Eleven Penn State players have scored this season, with six of them having two or more goals. Jennes and junior midfielder/forward Natalie Freeman are tied for second-most goals at three.
Freeman and Purdy are tied for the most points this season with nine, which ranks them tied for 29th in the Big Ten. Sophomore forward Katelyn Strawser and Freeman both have a team-high three assists.
Sophomore goalkeeper Aby Deverka has started all 12 games for Penn State this season. The Houston, Texas, native has made 47 saves this season but has given up the second-most goals in the Big Ten with 27. Deverka has a 2.12 goals against average and a 63.5% save percentage, which ranks ninth in the Big Ten.
Indiana notes
Coming off the Rutgers loss and a defeat to then-No. 18 Miami University on Monday, Indiana has lost five out of its last six games. The only win was a 5-0 victory against the University of California, Davis on Oct. 3.
Before the two losses, the Hoosiers were ranked No. 34 in the NCAA RPI rankings, but they have fallen to No. 39 entering this weekend’s games.
In Big Ten games, Indiana has only scored two goals and given up 12 scores. The Hoosiers have outshot the competition 34-32, but only 44.1% of their attempts have been on goal compared to 62.5% for opponents. Indiana has also drawn more penalty corners in conference games, leading opposing teams 16-11.
The Hoosiers head to College Park, Maryland, on Friday for a 4 p.m. showdown and then travel to State College, Pennsylvania, on Sunday for an early 11 a.m. start time. Both games will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Sean McAvoy (@sean_mc07 and semcavoy@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
