Despite keeping the game scoreless for 94 minutes of play, Maryland women’s soccer failed to stop its losing streak, extending it to five games Sunday with a 1-0 loss to Penn State.
Additionally, the Terps’ offense continued to struggle, as it reached a fourth straight game without a goal, totaling about 400 minutes of scoreless soccer.
Penn State scored on the first shot of overtime from either side about four minutes into the extra time. Laura Freigang ended the game, with her second shot on goal and fourth total shot of the contest.
Maryland’s defense played well in the first half, holding its opponent scoreless in the first half for the first time since Sept. 22. Specifically, Rachel Egyed was tremendous, making two tough saves on the Nittany Lions to keep the game tied.
19' | Rachel is making these look easy.
— Maryland W. Soccer (@TerpsWSoccer) October 15, 2017
Another, another 1-on-1 save. pic.twitter.com/8gNuzcah0C
However, the offense still struggled to create chances, failing to record a shot or a corner kick opportunity in the first 45 minutes. However, the Terps did get a couple odd-man opportunities, even though they led nowhere.
For the most part, the flow in the second half was the same as it was in the first half. Egyed and Maryland’s defense carried the team while the offense couldn’t get much going.
Madison Turner left the game for a brief moment in the second half with an apparent leg injury, but she later came back into the game. Her return was big, as Maryland needed all the help it could get against one of the best teams in the conference.
The Terps first registered a shot at the 76-minute mark, which is the longest they’ve taken to get a shot this season. In total, Penn State outshot Maryland 14-1 in regulation, with Penn State recording each of the first 11 shots in the game, and the first four shots on goal.
This was the first time this season Maryland lost in overtime, falling to 2-1-2 in extra time and 1-6-1 in Big Ten play.
The Terps (7-7-2) have five days off before their next game, when Michigan State comes to College Park on Saturday. It will be the last home game of the season for the Terps, which means it will be senior night.
Three things to know
- Rachel Egyed was outstanding. The Terps’ goalkeeper was the reason this game remained scoreless for so long and went to overtime. She made multiple difficult saves in one-on-one situations vs. Penn State forwards until the game-winner, halting many of the scoring chances the Nittany Lions had.
- The Terps’ offense struggled to crack the Penn State defense. The Nittany Lions have one of the best defenses in the nation, and it showed vs. a Maryland offense trying to find its groove. The Terps couldn’t generate any good scoring chances, with their only shot on goal coming from a low-percentage chance near the baseline, parallel to the goal.
- Maryland was as healthy as it’s been in a long time. It’s been a while since Jlon Flippens and Gi Krstec were both in the starting lineup, as the Terps finally had the luxury of a somewhat deep bench for the first time in about a month. With just two games left, the Terps will need everyone they can if they want to break their scoring drought.