Klebasko backstops No. 10 Maryland field hockey to 1-0 victory over No. 16 Michigan

No. 10 Maryland field hockey relied on Alyssa Klebasko early and often Friday against No. 16 Michigan.

The freshman goalkeeper recorded a career-high eight saves en route to her third shutout of the season, and the Terps held on to beat the Wolverines, 1-0.

“Alyssa Klebasko had the game of her career here, and we all can attest to that,” Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said. “It wasn’t the prettiest, but wins don’t have to be pretty”.

After drawing a season-high 11 corners in its last game at American, Maryland capitalized on its very first corner Friday. Halfway through the first quarter, off an insert from Margot Lawn, Sammy Popper hesitated with the ball at her stick before juking two Wolverines. The move opened up space for Popper to score her second goal in as many games. The insert also gave Lawn her team-leading eighth assist of the season; no other Terp has more than four.

Despite leading for the majority of the game, Maryland was often on its heels defensively. In the first half, Michigan more than doubled Maryland’s corner total and outshot the Terps, 15-6. Still, Michigan was held without a goal.

Despite Michigan’s pressure, Klebasko stood tall. She thwarted six shots in the first half, a career-best mark.

“Our passing was really strong, so now we just have to finish in the circle,” Michigan head coach Marcia Pankratz said on the broadcast at halftime. “… We have to get on the rebounds, and execute under pressure.”

Maryland was more aggressive to start the third quarter, but Michigan still outshot the Terps in the frame, 5-3.

On the final shot of the quarter, the Wolverines thought they had an equalizer. Their ninth corner of the game found redshirt-sophomore Claire Taylor. Taylor, who has yet to score this season, lunged into a powerful shot toward the top-right corner which bounced off Margot Lawn and into the back of the net.

But the celebration was short-lived as the referee deemed the shot too high.

Michigan was the aggressor all game long, becoming the first Maryland opponent to log 20 shots against the Terps since the NCAA moved to a four-quarter format in 2019.

“I’d like to think we’re more sophisticated… and able to play structured and slower with purpose. I felt sometimes we rushed things,” Meharg said of the shot differential.

Despite that, the Wolverines could not beat Klebasko as the Terps hunkered down defensively in the final quarter.

Riding a four-game winning streak, Maryland will travel to Columbus tomorrow in preparation for its game Sunday against No. 9 Ohio State.

Three things to know

1. Klebasko was the hero. The freshman’s eight saves bested her previous career-high of seven, which came earlier this season at Virginia. Both performances came against a ranked opponent in the first of a two-game road trip.

2. A scrappy win for the Terps. Michigan outshot Maryland, 20-8, becoming the first opponent to outshoot the Terps by 10 or more since Duke did so on Sept. 1, 2017.

3. A shift in the conference standings. With the loss, Michigan has dropped each of its last three games, all against conference opponents. The Big Ten regular-season title is now out of the picture for the Wolverines, and its aspirations of a NCAA Tournament appearance continue to dwindle.