UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (3-3, 0-1 Big Ten) fell to the Maryland Terrapins (7-0, 1-0 Big Ten) on a rainy Thursday evening at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex, 1-4. After trailing following the first two periods, Penn State came out hot to start the third, knotting the game at one goal a piece. However, the Nittany Lions were unable to hold off the Terrapins offense in the fourth period as a torrential downpour engulfed the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.
Ella Gaitan scored Penn State’s only goal on a penalty corner for her fifth goal of the season and secured her 11th point, matching her output in 2025 in eight fewer games played. The conversion came off an insert by Olivia Marthins and stopped by Sienna Dunn, one of the top penalty corner assistants in the country.
FIRST PERIOD | PSU 0 - NO. 5 MARYLAND 1
Maryland carried the pace of play, earning their first corner of the game at the 1:17 mark, but Penn State's junior goaltender Aby Deverka held strong with an early save. The Terrapin offense continued to push and eventually ended up scoring the opening salvo. Maryland maintained control, earning their second corner at the 13:53 mark, which was stopped again by Deverka and the Nittany Lions. The period ended with Maryland leading, 1-0.
SECOND PERIOD | PSU 0 - NO. 5 MARYLAND 1
The second period saw more back-and-forth play, with shots stopped on either end. Maryland earned another corner at the 22:34 mark, where Deverka and her defense stood tall again. The period closed with a Maryland green card at 29:11 and the Terrapins up 1-0.
THIRD PERIOD | PSU 1 - NO. 5 MARYLAND 1
Penn State came out strong, generating chances before capitalizing on an opportunity at the 35:46 mark. Gaitan scored her fifth goal of the season, with assists from Marthins and Dunn on the penalty corner. The Nittany Lions carried this momentum throughout the remainder of the period, putting several more shots on goal and pressing the Maryland defense to the brink with the rain starting to fall. The third period ended tied, 1-1.
FOURTH PERIOD | PSU 1 - NO. 5 MARYLAND 4
The Maryland offense capitalized on two early chances as the rain became a torrential downpour. The Terrapins were able to score three as rain continued to pour and Penn State was unable to score again.
UP NEXT
Penn State will face its first road test on Sunday, September 21 when the team travels to the No. 19 Monmouth Hawks in West Long Branch, N.J. with the game being streamed on FloCollege. The Nittany Lions will be back at home on October 4 at 12 p.m. against Lafayette College for the team’s Senior Day. Fans can stream the contest on B1G+ and can attend all games played at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex at no cost.
Visit GoPSUSports.com for up-to-date information on Penn State Field Hockey. Fans can follow Penn State Field Hockey on social media on Facebook at /pennstatefieldhockey as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateFH.