Maryland women’s soccer beat down by No. 16 Michigan, 4-1, in regular season finale

In the 17th minute of Maryland women’s soccer’s match on Sunday, Michigan forward Brooke Cilley took a pass from midfielder Meredith Haakenson in the box. A cross-body shot with her right foot sailed past Maryland goalkeeper Erin Seppi for the Wolverines’ second goal of the afternoon.

No. 16 Michigan took its strong first half to power it to a 4-1 win over Maryland to close out the 2019 regular season. The Wolverines finished the season with a record of 13-4-1, while Maryland dropped to 9-7-3.

It’s the Terrapins best regular season record since 2012, when the team finished 14-7-2 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The first half was a tale of two stories, with Michigan tallying five shots and two scores and Maryland going a full 45 minutes without a shot. The Terrapins finished with two shots, compared to the Wolverines’ 12.

Michigan dominated in all stats throughout the game, including corner kicks. The Wolverines totaled seven, shutting the Terrapins out in yet another statistical category.

In the second half, Michigan tallied two more goals within two minutes of each other to increase the lead to four, knocking Seppi out of the game and onto the Maryland bench. Redshirt junior Andi Wenck replaced Seppi and notched one save during her 15 minutes in goal.

On the positive side, freshman Mia Isaac netted her first career goal on her first career shot in the 83rd minute for the Terrapins. The defender’s play cut the Wolverine lead to three, but it was still not enough for a full comeback.

With the loss, Maryland dropped in the conference rankings, but still await its tournament seed pending other games around the conference.

Three things to know

1. The top of the Big Ten dominates - Michigan sat in third place in the conference going into the game against the Terrapins and has a chance to move up to a top-two spot after the win. Maryland has now seen the Big Ten’s three best teams this season—Wisconsin, Rutgers and Michigan— one of which the team will most likely face in the first round of the conference tournament. The Terrapins only beat one of the top-teams, on the road against Rutgers on Sept. 28.
2. Most wins since 2013 - Despite the loss to Michigan, the Terrapins earned their most wins in a season since joining the Big Ten and the most since 2013. In a competitive conference, Maryland has finished close to the bottom in each of its first four years but ended its 2019 campaign with 16 points and nine wins, complimented with a first-ever Big Ten Tournament appearance.
3. Defensive woes - When the Terrapins find themselves down in a game this season, it has been hard to comeback and win. Just once this season did Maryland come from behind and win, dropping all other games when the team didn’t score first. Going up against a top-team in the conference for the tournament’s first round, the Terrapins will need to find a way to come back if they go down early in enemy territory.