Maryland women’s soccer wins 2-1 in fourth consecutive overtime match

About halfway into Maryland’s fourth straight overtime game, Jlon Flippens buried a penalty kick after George Mason was called for a handball in the goalie box.

With the overtime winner, Maryland improves to 5-0-1 on the season, including 3-0-1 in overtime.

The first half saw both teams sustain extended pressure. George Mason grabbed the momentum to start, earning each of the first five shots of the game and catching the Terps off guard with its pressure. However, Maryland slowly grabbed that momentum, ending the half mainly in the Patriots’ zone.

The Terps finally found the back of the net about a minute before halftime. On the team’s seventh corner kick of the half, Flippens kicked the ball in the air, and Hope Gouterman deflected it to Madison Turner who scored her first of the season.

After coming out strong in the second half, Maryland couldn’t keep the momentum. George Mason ended its 350-minute scoreless streak with a Rebecca Callison goal, only the Patriots’ second goal of the season.

After George Mason’s goal, the Patriots slowly regained their confidence. Maryland struggled to get the ball out of its zone, giving George Mason a bunch of scoring chances. However, Terps goalie Rachel Egyed was on her A-game tonight, making some huge saves to keep the ball out of the net.

Near the end of regulation, Turner and Chelsea Jackson had a few great scoring chances, but neither could end the game in the first 90 minutes. The Terps were outshot 14-11 in regulation, but they outshot George Mason 8-7 in the second half.

In overtime, no team took clear control of the game as play went back and forth until Flippens’ penalty kick.

In total, the Patriots out-fouled the Terps 16-5 in Maryland’s second straight physical overtime game. Besides the fouls, the game was evenly played, with Maryland earning one more corner kick and shot-on-goal than George Mason.

Once again this season, Maryland played a very inconsistent game, switching off between having control of the game and being controlled by the opponent. While the Terps haven’t lost yet, they need to improve upon their consistency once conference play starts to have a chance to continue this roll.

Maryland returns home to take on William & Mary in College Park on Thursday.

Three things to know

1. Mikayla Dayes didn’t play. Maryland’s leading scorer missed this game after leaving Thursday’s game with a leg injury. Dayes has been a pleasant surprise in her first year, proving to be Maryland’s most talented player early in the season. The Terps are likely to be conservative with the freshman, making sure she is ready for conference play. In Dayes’ place, junior Kady Badham saw her first action of the year, playing 41 minutes.
2. Madison Turner continues to impress. With Dayes out, Turner has taken more control of the offense. After a nine-shot performance against Richmond, Turner was the focal point in Maryland’s offense Sunday. She finished the game with a goal on a team-leading four shots. If Dayes has to miss more time, expect Turner to become a driving force on offense.
3. Rachel Egyed is rock solid in goal. Without Egyed’s strong second half performance, Maryland loses this game in regulation. While she only finished the game with four saves, those saves were a big part of Maryland’s victory, coming at crucial moments in the game. The redshirt junior adds stability under pressure, and even when the defense breaks down, she is there to clean up the mess. Her play will be vital as Maryland heads into its Big Ten schedule.