Bradford’s Late Goal Lifts No. 5 Maryland Past No. 4 Wake Forest, 1-0

No. 5 Maryland field hockey needed nearly 56 minutes to break through against No. 4 Wake Forest, but Maci Bradford delivered when the Terrapins needed her most.

Bradford scored off a penalty corner with 4:18 remaining in regulation, while senior goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko made six saves as Maryland defeated Wake Forest, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex in College Park. The victory kept Maryland perfect at 8-0 and gave the Terrapins their highest-ranked victory since the 2023 season.

Maryland and Wake Forest played scoreless field hockey for more than three quarters before Bradford finally converted Maryland’s best opportunity of the afternoon. Ella Fehr picked up the assist on Bradford’s second goal of the season, and Maryland’s defense protected the advantage over the final four-plus minutes.

The victory was Maryland’s second against a ranked opponent this season and its second against a top-six team. The Terrapins also defeated then-No. 6 Duke, 3-2, on Sept. 6 and have now outscored their first eight opponents by a combined 27-4.

Top-five showdown lives up to billing

Maryland entered Sunday undefeated but faced one of its most difficult challenges of the young season. Wake Forest came to College Park ranked No. 4 nationally with a 5-1 record after defeating Delaware on Friday, while Maryland was ranked No. 5 following a 4-1 road victory over Penn State.

The matchup was also a renewal of one of Maryland’s most significant rivalries from its years in the ACC. Maryland and Wake Forest have met in major postseason games throughout the programs’ histories, including the 2006 national championship game won by the Terrapins.

Sunday’s meeting looked like a game between two nationally elite teams from the opening minutes. Neither side generated much separation, and both defenses consistently prevented dangerous opportunities from turning into goals.

The final statistics reflected how evenly the game was played. Maryland held a narrow 12-11 advantage in shots and put seven attempts on goal compared with Wake Forest’s six. The Terrapins also generated five penalty corners while Wake Forest finished with three.

The difference was Maryland converting one of those corners when the game reached its most important moment.

Wake Forest applies early pressure

Wake Forest immediately tested Maryland’s defense.

The Demon Deacons generated two shots that Maryland blocked in the opening minute, making it clear that the Terrapins would not have the type of comfortable afternoon they experienced in some of their earlier victories. Maryland responded by earning its first penalty corner in the seventh minute.

Klebasko made her first save in the ninth minute before Maryland created an opportunity at the opposite end. Maddie Vasilios put a shot on cage in the 10th minute, but Wake Forest goalkeeper Ruby Butterfield made the save.

Wake Forest finished the first quarter with three shots compared with Maryland’s two. Both teams put one shot on goal, and each goalkeeper made one save.

The opening 15 minutes ended exactly as they began, tied 0-0.

That pattern continued throughout much of the afternoon.

Klebasko keeps the game scoreless

Wake Forest again tested Klebasko early in the second quarter, and the Maryland goalkeeper answered with another important save in the 18th minute.

Maryland tried to create opportunities through Ella Beach and Maia Adamson. Beach recorded an attempt in the 20th minute before Adamson put a shot on target five minutes later, forcing another Wake Forest save.

Neither team could find a goal before halftime.

Wake Forest held a 5-4 advantage in total shots through the opening two quarters, while both teams put two shots on goal. Maryland had generated the only penalty corner of the first half.

Klebasko’s two saves ensured Maryland entered halftime with the game still tied.

For a Terrapins team that had scored 25 goals through its first seven games, Sunday presented a considerably different challenge. Maryland had averaged more than three goals per game entering the matchup, including 15 goals over its previous three victories against Towson, Saint Joseph’s and Penn State.

Wake Forest was not allowing Maryland to dictate the game offensively.

Defensive battle continues in third quarter

Maryland came out of halftime looking for the breakthrough and quickly generated pressure.

Francisca Eschoyez put a shot on goal in the 32nd minute, but Butterfield made another save. The Terrapins earned two penalty corners during the third quarter and finished the period with two shots.

Wake Forest also generated two corners during the period, both coming around the 42nd minute. Maryland’s penalty-corner defense held firm and prevented the Demon Deacons from capitalizing.

After 45 minutes, the score remained 0-0.

Maryland and Wake Forest had each attempted six shots through three quarters. The Terrapins held a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal and a 3-2 edge in penalty corners.

Everything was setting up for the fourth quarter to determine the winner.

Fourth-quarter pressure builds

The final 15 minutes featured more offensive activity than any other quarter.

Wake Forest attempted five shots during the fourth, while Maryland generated six. Both teams forced the opposing goalkeeper to make several important saves.

Maryland blocked a Wake Forest attempt in the 47th minute before Klebasko faced her most dangerous sequence of the afternoon.

The Demon Deacons put consecutive attempts on goal in the 51st minute. Klebasko stopped both, keeping Maryland level and giving the Terrapins an opportunity to find the winner at the other end.

Maryland nearly did so immediately.

Adamson fired an attempt off the post in the 52nd minute. It was one of Maryland’s closest opportunities of the game and served as a warning that the Terrapins were beginning to create sustained pressure.

Maryland continued attacking.

Wake Forest made two saves during the 54th minute as the Terrapins increased the pressure around the cage. Two minutes later, Fehr generated another dangerous attempt, but Butterfield again kept Maryland off the scoreboard.

The game appeared increasingly likely to require overtime.

Then Maryland earned another penalty corner.

Bradford delivers the winner

With 4:18 remaining, Maryland finally broke through.

The Terrapins executed their penalty corner, and Bradford finished the opportunity at 55:42 to give Maryland a 1-0 lead. Fehr received the assist, her fourth of the season.

It was Bradford’s second goal of 2026 and the 21st of her Maryland career. Her first goal of the season had come only three days earlier when Maryland defeated Penn State, 4-1, in its Big Ten opener.

Against Penn State, Bradford’s goal provided insurance in a three-goal fourth quarter.

Against Wake Forest, it meant everything.

Neither side had scored for more than 55 minutes, and Maryland suddenly needed to protect a one-goal advantage for the final 4:18.

The Terrapins did exactly that.

Wake Forest could not produce an equalizer before time expired, and Maryland walked away with a 1-0 victory in one of its most significant early-season tests.

Klebasko delivers six-save shutout

Bradford scored the goal that will appear in the scoring summary, but Klebasko was just as important to Maryland’s victory.

The senior goalkeeper stopped all six Wake Forest shots on goal. She made two saves during the first half before delivering four in the fourth quarter as the Demon Deacons increased their pressure.

The shutout was the 19th of Klebasko’s Maryland career. It was also her 42nd career victory and the first time she had shut out a top-five opponent.

Her performance also earned additional recognition Monday when the Big Ten named Klebasko its Defensive Player of the Week. She played all 120 minutes across Maryland’s victories over Penn State and Wake Forest, allowing only one goal and making seven total saves during the two-game stretch.

Klebasko’s season goals-against average dropped to 0.60 following the weekend.

Maryland has allowed only four goals through eight games, its lowest total through the first eight contests since the 2007 season.

That defensive performance has become one of the biggest reasons Maryland remains undefeated.

Maryland wins the statistical battle

The final numbers showed just how close Sunday’s game was.

Maryland outshot Wake Forest 12-11 and finished with a 7-6 advantage in shots on goal. The Terrapins earned five penalty corners compared with three for the Demon Deacons.

Butterfield made six saves for Wake Forest, matching Klebasko’s total. The difference was that Maryland found a way to get one shot past Butterfield while Klebasko remained perfect at the opposite end.

Maryland produced two shots in each of the first three quarters before increasing that total to six in the fourth. Wake Forest generated three in the first, two in the second, one in the third and five in the fourth.

That fourth-quarter increase from both teams transformed a defensive stalemate into an exciting finish.

Wake Forest’s Bianca Rees-Gibbs led the Demon Deacons with four shots. Sela Provenzano put both of her attempts on goal, while Faye Janse added two shots.

But Maryland’s defense did enough to prevent any of those opportunities from becoming the equalizer.

Maryland improves to 8-0

Sunday’s victory gave Maryland its first 8-0 start since 2018 and only its 12th 8-0 start in program history. The Terrapins previously reached that mark in 1995, 1997, 2003-07, 2009-10, 2013 and 2018.

Maryland has also been dominant at home.

The Terrapins improved to 5-0 at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex this season and are 246-39 all-time at the facility since it opened in 2003. Maryland has started 5-0 at home in consecutive seasons and has accomplished that feat three times since 2022.

The season as a whole has been nearly flawless.

Maryland opened with a 3-0 victory over Drexel before beating Temple, 3-1. The Terps then traveled to Massachusetts and shut out Boston College, 2-0, before defeating No. 6 Duke, 3-2.

Maryland returned home and overwhelmed Towson, 6-0, before shutting out Saint Joseph’s, 5-0. The Terrapins then opened Big Ten competition with a 4-1 victory at Penn State before returning to College Park for Sunday’s 1-0 win over Wake Forest.

Through those eight games, Maryland has scored 27 goals and allowed only four.

Terps continue dominance of Wake Forest

Maryland’s history against Wake Forest made Sunday’s victory even more significant.

The matchup represented the 42nd all-time meeting between the programs in a series dating to 1992. Maryland improved to 32-10 against the Demon Deacons and has now won 12 consecutive meetings.

Maryland has been especially dominant against Wake Forest in College Park, improving to 14-1 at home in the series.

The programs also share significant postseason history. Maryland defeated Wake Forest in the 2006 NCAA national championship game, and Sunday’s contest came during a weekend in which Maryland honored members of its 2005 and 2006 national championship teams.

Members of those championship teams were recognized at halftime as part of Maryland’s Field Hockey Alumni Weekend.

The current Terrapins then added another memorable victory to the program’s history.

Terps keep beating elite competition

Maryland’s 8-0 record has not been built exclusively against overmatched opponents.

The Terrapins have already defeated two teams ranked inside the top six. Maryland beat No. 6 Duke, 3-2, at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge before shutting out No. 4 Wake Forest on Sunday.

Maryland is now 3-0 against ACC opponents this season after victories over Boston College, Duke and Wake Forest.

The Wake Forest victory was Maryland’s highest-ranked regular-season win since defeating No. 2 Northwestern on Oct. 2, 2022. Maryland also defeated fifth-ranked Rutgers as the No. 2 seed in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament.

That gives the Terrapins an early collection of quality victories as they move deeper into conference play.

Defense emerging as Maryland’s foundation

Maryland’s offensive numbers have received plenty of attention during the 8-0 start, and for good reason. The Terrapins have scored 27 goals, produced 143 shots and outshot their opponents by a massive 143-64 margin.

But Maryland’s defense may be even more impressive.

The Terrapins have conceded only four goals through eight games and have posted four shutouts. Drexel, Boston College, Towson, Saint Joseph’s and Wake Forest all failed to score against Maryland, with the Wake Forest result coming against the highest-ranked opponent of that group.

Klebasko has provided the final line of protection, but Maryland’s field defense has consistently limited opposing opportunities before they reach her.

That formula was essential Sunday.

Wake Forest generated 11 shots and six shots on goal, but Maryland refused to allow the Demon Deacons to turn their pressure into a goal. When Wake Forest finally forced Klebasko into difficult situations late in the fourth quarter, she responded with multiple saves.

Then Bradford supplied the goal Maryland needed.

Up next

Maryland remains home for another Big Ten matchup Friday, Sept. 25, when Rutgers visits the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.

The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will air nationally on Big Ten Network.

Maryland will enter that matchup at 8-0 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play. The Terrapins will also carry an eight-game winning streak and a perfect 5-0 home record into the conference contest.

MSB Take

Maryland’s first seven victories demonstrated plenty about the Terrapins, but Sunday may have revealed more about this team than any of them.

The Terps could not overwhelm Wake Forest with their offense. They could not rely on an early lead or a multi-goal cushion. Instead, Maryland had to remain patient for nearly 56 minutes against the No. 4 team in the country while knowing that one defensive mistake could decide the game.

Maryland never made that mistake.

Klebasko delivered every time Wake Forest tested her, particularly during a tense fourth quarter. The defense survived three Demon Deacons penalty corners, and Maryland continued creating enough pressure at the other end to eventually earn the opportunity it needed.

Bradford then converted it.

Her goal with 4:18 remaining turned an outstanding defensive performance into Maryland’s eighth consecutive victory. The fact that it came during Alumni Weekend, with members of Maryland’s 2005 and 2006 national championship teams back in College Park, made the afternoon even more fitting.

Maryland is now 8-0, has outscored opponents 27-4, owns two victories over top-six opponents and has surrendered the program’s fewest goals through eight games since 2007. The season is still young, and Big Ten play is only beginning, but the Terrapins have already demonstrated they can win in several different ways.

Against Wake Forest, Maryland showed it can win a heavyweight defensive battle too.