Maryland
Sammy Popper’s goals have come at just the right time for Maryland field hockey
![Sammy Popper’s goals have come at just the right time for Maryland field hockey Sammy Popper’s goals have come at just the right time for Maryland field hockey](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nUKaQt4UMSy1Ysudb88HnXv1ZQM=/0x37:1921x1043/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25033278/popper.jpg)
In field hockey, victories are often narrow. Getting out to an early lead puts a team in firm control.
Scoring first has been crucial for No. 9 Maryland field hockey this season, and graduate forward Sammy Popper has frequently provided the Terps this advantage.
Popper has scored the first goal in four wins for Maryland (14-3) this season. Last week, she became the first Terp since Maryland joined the Big Ten to net the opening goal in three straight games.
With seven goals on the season, the Princeton transfer credits her team’s pregame excitement for her hot starts.
“It really [starts with] our attitude and conversations … one of our teammates gives us a pregame speech and it gets us all in the right mindset,” Popper said. “One of our goals is coming out and setting the tone … that we’re going to dominate the game, so first-quarter energy is a really big thing for us.”
Popper’s timely strikes came during the team’s most meaningful three-game stretch of the season. Popper scored the first goal against then-No. 16 Michigan, then-No. 9 Ohio State and then-No. 5 Iowa. Maryland never trailed in any of those games.
The Terps have outscored conference opponents, 8-0, in first quarters this season, and are 13-2 when they strike first.
“I love that fact,” Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said. “Because that has not been a key theme for Maryland historically; we’ve sometimes worked into games. But half of it’s been in preparation, and the girls are very clear on what the plan is.”
Last year, Maryland took a first-quarter lead in just three of its 11 Big Ten games. This season, the Terps have accomplished that feat in all seven conference games.
“A goal can come in a high-scoring game, but could also come when we’re so evenly matched with a team … that there are few opportunities to score,” Popper said. “So, getting on the board early, in a way, gives you a safety net to be strong defensively.”
Prioritizing fast starts has worked for Popper and the Terps thus far, and it will be even more crucial in Maryland’s regular-season finale at No. 1 Northwestern on Thursday. Trying to extend its seven-game win streak, Maryland will aim to hand the Wildcats their first conference loss of the season.
“A big key for us is going to be our speed, passing the ball, and getting ahead quickly because they’re a very fast team,” Popper said. “[We have to] come out fast and put them on their heels, so this is a game where it’d be really important to get a first-quarter goal.”
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Maryland
Fall chill overnight for Maryland
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Maryland
3 Takeaways from the Spartans’ Victory over Maryland
![3 Takeaways from the Spartans’ Victory over Maryland 3 Takeaways from the Spartans’ Victory over Maryland](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3540,h_1991,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/spartan_nation/01j796ara6amt9mb880d.jpg)
The Michigan State Spartans under head coach Jonathan Smith are 2-0 thanks to a road win against a tough Maryland team, 27-24.
Resilience might be the word to describe this squad so far. The Spartans made some big blunders against the Terrapins and still found a way to battle back. The gritty performance might have been enough to get the Spartans into a bowl game.
Here are three takeaways from the Spartans’ win.
Aidan Chiles: Very Young, Very Talented
Chiles looked vastly improved from the home opener against Florida Atlantic. Again, he looked like an 18-year-old quarterback.
Chiles got not just his first passing touchdown as a Spartan, but three passing touchdowns to go with 24 of 39 passing and 363 yards. He also had three interceptions, which very nearly cost the Spartans the game.
Chiles has about as strong an arm as any quarterback to wear the green and white in recent memory. He is dangerous when he is on the move.
Perhaps a critique is that he should try to make more plays with his legs, he has seemed cautious to these first two games. The first pass rusher to get to Chiles likely won’t bring him down — Chiles has a great feel for the pocket and he is quite slippery.
Chiles overcame some poor mistakes and throwing mechanics (his feet tend to get wide and it factors into his overthrows) to lead the Spartans in the most critical of situations against a sturdy Maryland defense.
Huge game for Chiles, who showed why the hype was so promising.
Can the Spartans Stay Healthy on Defense?
Already, this Spartans squad is beaten up. Dillon Tatum, a key defensive back, lost for the season. Wide receiver Alante Brown, whose injury allowed for Nick Marsh to announce himself to the world, lost for the foreseeable future. Kristian Phillips at guard was huge.
During the Maryland game, several Spartans were beat up. Few even had to go into the tent on the sideline. It will be crucial for the Spartans to remain healthy, especially on defense. Most especially in the defensive backfield.
The Spartans are very confident in their young defensive backs — Justin Denson Jr., Andrew Brinson IV, and Jaylen Thompson can all be very good players, but they need more time to develop.
If more Spartans fall to injury, the defensive backfield could get very young.
Nick Marsh is the Real Deal
Marsh was the recruiting gem of 2024, the best player in a class with plenty of good talent. A highly-rated four-star, Marsh was the No. 107-ranked player in the class by 247Sports. Marsh, of course, stood out in fall camp like the high-profile recruit he was.
6-foot-3, 208 pounds, Marsh already had a man’s body. At just 18 years old.
“Possesses the size, athleticism, and multi-sport profile that projects very well in the long term,” 247Sports’ Gabe Brooks wrote. “Traitsy mismatch wideout with high-major impact potential and the ceiling to develop into an NFL Draft candidate.”
With the loss of Brown, Marsh was asked to step up. Step up he did — eight receptions for 194 receiving yards and a touchdown. Wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins might have his next in the line of Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed and Keon Coleman.
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Maryland
Maryland, D.C. and Virginia get more money for house calls for moms and infants – WTOP News
![Maryland, D.C. and Virginia get more money for house calls for moms and infants – WTOP News Maryland, D.C. and Virginia get more money for house calls for moms and infants – WTOP News](https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1304284918-scaled.jpg)
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration will provide an additional $23.1 million in federal aid to the agency’s national Home Visiting Program in the District, Maryland and Virginia.
More money is on the way for a home-visiting health care program designed to provide better care for pregnant women, new parents and infants.
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced an additional $23.1 million in federal aid to the agency’s national Home Visiting Program in the District, Maryland and Virginia.
The extra money is the first time in a decade that the program has received an increase in federal funds, HRSA administrator Carol Johnson said.
“What those resources mean is that we’re able to support nurses, social workers and trained home visitors, and help with those early days of being a new parent,” Johnson said. “All of this has been shown to really make a difference in kids’ outcomes. Kids are so much stronger because they get these kinds of supports.”
Johnson said the program’s success hinges on convenient health visits in a comfortable at-home setting.
“When you’re a new parent, if you have to take off from work and take a few buses to get to an appointment, you’re probably not going to do it,” she said. “But if that person comes to your house and they’re full of resources and knowledge, it’s going to make a huge difference to you.”
Rockville, Maryland-based HRSA spearheads the national program, teaming up with local health organizations to target and reach parents.
Home health care workers can provide breastfeeding support, safe sleep tips and developmental screening for babies. They can even help parents find key services like affordable child care or job and educational opportunities.
“It’s changed my life,” past program participant Fatima Ray said.
Ray said she was introduced to the program in 2015 when she needed help with her infant daughter. She and her husband were first-time parents and stumbled through the first few months with a newborn.
“It felt good, like I had someone on my team,” Ray said. “Those questions you forget to ask the doctor sometimes, she would answer them.”
The experience impressed Ray so much that she became a home health visitor. She is the maternal health coordinator at Primo Center, a homeless shelter for families in Chicago.
“The same care that was given to me, I just want to pass it on,” Ray told WTOP. “I know how much it made a difference in my life. Home visiting matters.”
President Joseph Biden signed bipartisan legislation in 2022 that doubles funding for the program over five years. The move was part of a campaign promise to lower risks linked to pregnancy and improve maternal health, especially among women in rural, tribal and low-income communities.
The national home visiting program will receive $440 million Maryland’s local programs will get $10 million of those funds. Virginia is slated to receive $11 million and D.C.’s home visiting programs will see a $2.5 million increase.
“This will push home visiting forward a lot more,” Ray said. “It’s just going to help tremendously.”
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