No. 13 Maryland Storms Back to Beat No. 6 Duke in Shootout, Remains Perfect at 4-0
NEWTON, Mass. — No. 13 Maryland field hockey faced its biggest test of the young season Sunday and responded with its most impressive victory yet.
The Terrapins erased an early two-goal deficit, received a dramatic game-tying goal from freshman Ella Beach with less than two minutes remaining in regulation and defeated No. 6 Duke, 3-2, following a shootout in the B1G/ACC Challenge. Maryland won the shootout 3-1 to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2022 while earning its first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Francisca Eschoyez scored Maryland’s first regulation goal before Beach delivered the equalizer at 58:03. Ella Fehr, Maci Bradford and Eschoyez then converted Maryland’s successful shootout attempts, with Eschoyez putting away the decisive attempt to complete the comeback. Goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko made three saves and helped keep Duke scoreless for the final three quarters and overtime.
Duke Jumps Out to a 2-0 Lead
Maryland found itself playing from behind almost immediately against one of the nation’s top teams. Duke’s Ashley Stockdale opened the scoring at 7:20, converting off an assist from Adriana Ensani following a penalty-corner sequence. Stockdale’s goal was already her fifth of the season through Duke’s first four contests.
The Blue Devils struck again before Maryland could escape the opening quarter. Juliette Schulten scored at 13:29, with Alaina McVeigh providing the assist, to extend Duke’s advantage to 2-0. Duke finished the first quarter with a 5-3 advantage in shots and a 3-2 edge in penalty corners, forcing Maryland into its first two-goal deficit of the season.
It was unfamiliar territory for the Terrapins. Maryland had opened the season with wins over Drexel, Temple and Boston College and had allowed only one goal across those first three games. Duke scored twice in less than 14 minutes, immediately testing whether Maryland could respond against elite competition.
Eschoyez Begins the Comeback
Maryland did not allow the deficit to linger for long.
Just 1:51 into the second quarter, Eschoyez scored to cut Duke’s advantage to 2-1. Bradford and Babs van Hest were credited with assists on the play, and Eschoyez’s goal was her team-leading fourth of the season.
That goal completely changed the complexion of the contest. Instead of allowing Duke to build upon its dominant opening period, Maryland went into halftime within one goal and began settling defensively. The Terrapins turned away two Duke penalty corners during the second quarter and prevented the Blue Devils from adding to their lead.
Duke continued applying pressure after halftime, particularly during the third quarter. The Blue Devils produced five shots during the period and earned two penalty corners, but Maryland’s defensive unit held firm. Klebasko made a pair of important saves, while Jordyn Hollamon produced an opportunity at the other end that Duke goalkeeper Kaiya Chepow stopped.
Maryland still trailed 2-1 after 45 minutes, but the Terps had done something critical: They had stayed within one goal despite Duke controlling significant portions of the game.
Maryland Refuses to Go Away
The fourth quarter became increasingly frantic as Maryland searched for an equalizer.
Klebasko made another important save early in the period, and Maryland began generating opportunities of its own. Eschoyez put a shot on target in the 48th minute, forcing a save from Chepow. Both teams also dealt with yellow cards during an increasingly physical final quarter.
Time quickly became Maryland’s biggest opponent.
Duke still held its 2-1 advantage as the clock moved inside the final two minutes. Maryland had been chasing the game essentially from the eighth minute and was rapidly approaching its first loss of the season.
Then Beach changed everything.
Beach’s First Career Goal Comes at the Perfect Time
With 1:57 remaining in regulation, Beach scored the biggest goal of her young Maryland career.
Rachael Whitehead provided the assist, and Beach finished the opportunity at 58:03 for her first collegiate goal. It could hardly have come at a more dramatic moment, tying the contest at 2-2 and rescuing Maryland from what appeared to be an impending defeat.
Maryland nearly completed the comeback before overtime was even necessary. Hollamon put two shots on goal during the closing seconds of regulation, but Chepow stopped both attempts to preserve the tie. After being less than two minutes from losing, Maryland suddenly entered overtime carrying all of the momentum.
The timing of Beach’s goal made it one of the defining plays of Maryland’s season so far. A freshman scored her first career goal against the No. 6 team in the country with the Terrapins’ unbeaten record on the line. Those are the types of moments that can accelerate a young player’s confidence and become important pieces of a championship-caliber season.
Defense Sends It to a Shootout
Neither side could find a winner during overtime.
Maryland earned the first penalty corner of the extra period in the 62nd minute, though Duke successfully defended the chance. The Blue Devils later earned a corner of their own in the 71st minute, but Maryland again prevented Duke from producing the decisive goal.
Duke finished the match with an 18-12 advantage in shots and a sizable 10-5 advantage in penalty corners. Maryland, however, was more accurate with its opportunities, putting seven shots on goal compared with Duke’s five. Chepow made five saves for the Blue Devils while Klebasko stopped three shots for Maryland.
Those numbers make Maryland’s defensive performance even more impressive. Duke generated twice as many penalty corners but failed to score after the opening quarter. Maryland survived extended stretches of pressure and gave its offense enough time to eventually erase the deficit.
Terps Take Control of the Shootout
Duke opened the shootout by converting its first attempt, putting Maryland under immediate pressure once again.
Fehr answered for the Terps to tie the shootout at one. Duke then missed its next opportunity before Bradford converted for Maryland, giving the Terrapins control. Both teams failed on the following round, leaving Eschoyez with an opportunity to finish the comeback.
She converted.
Eschoyez, who had started Maryland’s comeback with the second-quarter goal, ended the game by scoring the decisive shootout attempt. Maryland took the shootout 3-1 and officially completed the 3-2 victory over the sixth-ranked Blue Devils.
It was a fitting ending for Eschoyez. Her fourth goal of the season kept Maryland within striking distance early, and her final touch of the afternoon completed one of the Terps’ best comebacks in recent memory.
Maryland Reaches 4-0
The victory moved Maryland to 4-0 for the first time since 2022 and marked the 16th 4-0 start in program history. It also gave the Terrapins their first ranked victory of the season after beginning the year with wins over Drexel, Temple and Boston College.
Maryland also ended a five-game losing streak against Duke and improved its all-time record in the series to 37-17-3. Sunday’s contest was the 57th meeting between the traditional national powers, whose history against each other dates to 1985. Maryland is now 10-9 against Duke in neutral-site meetings.
The Terrapins also continued their remarkable historical success in close games. Maryland improved to 84-34 all-time in contests decided in overtime or a shootout, including a 74-30 record during head coach Missy Meharg’s tenure.
Sunday’s victory completed a perfect weekend at the B1G/ACC Challenge. Maryland defeated Boston College 2-0 Friday before taking down Duke two days later. The Terrapins have now opened the season with four straight victories while allowing just three regulation goals.
Terps Return Home Against Towson
Maryland will return to College Park for its next two contests.
The Terrapins host Towson on Friday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m. at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. The game will air on B1G+. Maryland then welcomes Saint Joseph’s on Sunday, Sept. 13, before traveling to Penn State on Sept. 17.
Maryland will enter that stretch with considerably more confidence than it had even a few days ago. Beating Boston College on the road was a strong result, but rallying from two goals down against No. 6 Duke provided the Terps with their first true signature win of 2026.
MSB Take
This was a statement win for Maryland.
There are comfortable wins that look impressive in a box score, and then there are games that reveal something about a team’s character. Maryland was down 2-0 against the No. 6 team in the country, had been outplayed for much of the opening quarter and was less than two minutes away from its first loss. The Terps still found a way to win.
Beach could not have picked a better time for the first goal of her Maryland career. Scoring with 1:57 remaining against Duke to save an unbeaten start is the type of moment people remember if this season turns into something special. Maryland then showed tremendous composure in the shootout instead of simply being satisfied that it had survived regulation.
Eschoyez continues to look like one of Maryland’s most important offensive weapons. She scored the goal that started the comeback and then delivered the shootout winner. Bradford also continues to make plays, assisting on Eschoyez’s regulation goal before converting her own shootout opportunity.
The defensive response might have been the most encouraging part of the entire afternoon. Duke scored twice in the opening 13:29 and then did not score again despite finishing with 18 shots and 10 penalty corners. Maryland could have unraveled after that opening quarter, but instead the Terps shut down one of the best teams in the country for the remainder of the game.
Maryland is 4-0, has beaten a top-six opponent and has now shown it can win in several different ways. The Terps can control games, defend leads and, as Duke found out Sunday, climb out of a deep hole against elite competition.
It is still very early in the season, but this looks like a Maryland field hockey team capable of making serious noise nationally.
