Mikayla Dayes’ golden goal gives Maryland women’s soccer a 2-1 victory over Gardner-Webb

With 15 minutes passed in overtime, freshman Mikayla Dayes deked out the defender and put a goal into the net to give Maryland women’s soccer a 2-1 victory over Gardner-Webb.

The Terps have now matched last season’s win total and improve to 3-0 on the season. Dayes did what Maryland couldn’t do last year, when the Terps tied the Runnin Bulldogs 1-1 in College Park.

Maryland was the better team in the first half despite not scoring. The Terps outshot Gardner-Webb 7-2, including 5-1 in shots on goal. Goalkeeper Erin Seppi, who started in place of Rachel Egyed, only totaled one save in the first half due to the lack of Gardner-Webb chances.

However, despite the scoring chances, Maryland couldn’t get the ball past Gardner-Webb goalkeeper Keely Brown. The Terps best chances came on a Jarena Harmon breakaway a Jlon Flippens free kick, both of which Brown deflected out of play.

After sitting the first half, Egyed started the second half and played through overtime. She had played all 180 minutes in goal on the season entering this game, but Leone decided to give Seppi the first 45 minutes of action.

Maryland’s first goal came over eight minutes into the second half. Dayes found her way to the front of the net to kick in a Jlon Flippens corner kick, the sixth corner of the game for Maryland.

After Maryland’s goal, Gardner-Webb started to pick up its play, as both of its best chances came in the second half. Forward Ty Snell was called offside right before sneaking a ball past Egyed, and a Zoe Clark yellow card led to a Gardner-Webb free kick that Maryland’s defense cleared.

In the final 15 minutes of regulation, Maryland lost its aggressiveness, which led to Gardner-Webb’s first goal of the game. After a Maryland foul, forward Stina Kleppe scored off a free kick that deflected off the crossbar past Egyed. The goal marked Gardner-Webb’s first of the season through three games.

Maryland struggled near the end of regulation, but it regained momentum in overtime. The Terps attempted all three shots of the extra time period, taking control of the game, and ended the match with Dayes’ score.

Despite the one-goal difference, Maryland dominated the stat sheet. The Terps outshot Gardner-Webb 18-6, including 9-4 in shots on goal, and attempted four more corner kicks than the Runnin Bulldogs. Additionally, Gardner-Webb out-fouled Maryland 14-10 in this game.

Maryland’s next game will be Sunday as the Terps travel to South Carolina to take on Furman. The match is scheduled for an 11 a.m. ET start time.

Three Things to Know

1. Maryland still hasn’t scored in the first half. So far this year, Maryland has gotten off to slow starts before finding its groove in the second half. This was the team’s best first-half showing of the season, but Maryland still couldn’t get a goal in the first 45 minutes despite its strong play.
2. Mary Johnston left the game in the second half. Early in the second half, the freshman forward got fouled and needed help getting off the field, unable to put pressure on her right leg. Johnston has only played in two games this season for a total of 84 minutes, earning one assist.
3. Mikayla Dayes is already a huge offensive weapon. It was evident in the first two games, but on Friday night she was Maryland’s offense. With two goals in this game and three on the season, the freshman has already added some of the offensive firepower that Maryland lacked in 2016.