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Maryland picked up their fourth win of the season Sunday, finishing their road trip to Texas with a 2-1 victory over SMU. Second-half goals from Madison Turner and Alex Anthony lifted the Terps over the Mustangs.
First Half
The game started slowly for both teams, with neither team taking a shot until the 20th minute. Both teams had some openings, such as Natasha Ntone-Kouo finding Alex Anthony in the box in the 10th minute, but the defenses were able to prevent any shots from getting off. Freshman Cassie Phillips finally broke that streak with a 20th minute effort that went wide. Three minutes later, SMU took its first shot, and found the back of the net with it. Paige Jacobs was the goalscorer, hitting a cross first-time and beating keeper Rachelle Beanlands.
It was over 10 minutes before the game saw its next shot, which came from SMU and was blocked by the Terps defense. The ball ricocheted back to Lauren Guerra, who took the initial shot, but her ensuing shot was high. Beanlands picked up her first save in the 33rd minute, on what would be SMU's final shot of the half. The Terps took the final three shots of the first period, and all were on target, but Mustang goalkeeper Shannon Moroney was able to prevent Maisie McCune, Riley Barger, and then Madison Turner from equalizing.
Second Half
The Terps spent little time taking the lead in the second, taking three shots in the first 15 minutes. Madison Turner would not be denied in the second half, scoring in the 57th minute when her shot off a cross took a deflection that sent it past a helpless Moroney. Less than 2 minutes later, the Terps took the lead they would hold for the rest of the game when Alex Anthony slotted home from right in front of net off a Shannon Collins corner.
The game turned into a midfield battle for nearly the entire half after Maryland secured the 2-1 lead; the Terps didn't take another shot for the rest of the game, and the Mustangs first shot of the half came in the 80th minute, and was high. Beanlands was tested in the 83rd, but came up with the save. The Mustangs final shot, in the dying seconds of the game, was blocked, clinching the Terrapins' 2-1 win.
Takeaways
The Terps played in a 4-4-2 for both of their games in Texas, which resulted in a loss and a win. The second half against West Virginia excluded, the Terps had played a 4-3-3 all season. Natasha Ntone-Kouo, who spent most of the season playing up top, moved to the midfield, leaving Alex Anthony starting at forward alongside Gabby Galanti against TCU, and Lisa Bianchini against SMU.
Coach Jonathan Morgan made another lineup change Sunday, this one to the backline and midfield. Similar to the Terps game against La Salle, Sarah Fichtner was moved from midfield to defense. This time, she replaced Madison Turner. Whether the changes were due to injury or a strategic decision from Morgan remains to be seen. Cassie Phillips took Fichtner's midfield starting spot, just as she did against La Salle.
The team's Texas trip leaves them at 4-2 in 2015. They weren't the most productive they've been offensively, taking 15 shots over the 2 games. However, their shots were accurate, with 10 of those shots on frame, and 3 of them being goals. The Terps will be disappointed with Friday's second half against TCU, but picked up a valuable road win Sunday.
The Terrapins return to action Thursday at home against James Madison, who also sits at 4-2 in 2015. That weekend will be Maryland's final tune-up before beginning conference play on Friday, September 18th. The game will be streamed on BTN Plus.