On a crisp evening in College Park, Maryland field hockey faced off against No. 6 Duke in a highly anticipated Big Ten/ACC challenge, entering the match with an undefeated 4‑0 record in conference play.
A Comeback for the Ages
The Terps quickly found themselves in a hole, as Duke’s Ashley Stockdale opened the scoring early in the first quarter and Juliette Schulten added a corner‑taken goal, pushing the lead to 2‑0 and leaving Maryland outshot 18‑12.
But the Terps refused to fold; a resilient defensive adjustment in the second quarter shut out Duke, and with five minutes remaining in the fourth, Ella Beach netted her first collegiate goal to tie the game at 2‑2, sending the contest into sudden‑death overtime.
When regulation and overtime could not separate the sides, the game was decided by a penalty shootout. Maryland’s goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko made three of four saves, while Ella Fehr, Maci Bradford and Francisca Eschoyez converted their attempts, securing a 3‑2 victory; Erin Callahan missed her sole try.
The win not only gave Maryland its first triumph over a ranked opponent this season but also reinforced a growing confidence in the program’s ability to compete with elite teams, a skill that had been lacking in the previous year.