Maryland women’s soccer holds off William & Mary, 1-0

After defeating William & Mary, 1-0, on Thursday night, Maryland women’s soccer ended non-conference play with an unbeaten record for the first time since 2011.

Madison Turner continued to provide offensive firepower, scoring for the second straight game, this time just three minutes in. Jarena Harmon found Turner in front of the net, and the senior beat her defender to score. This was the earliest the Terps have scored this season by almost 20 minutes.

Maryland kept the momentum Turner earned with the goal in the first half, even if the team didn’t score again before halftime. The Terps entered the break with an 8-2 lead on shots and a 5-1 lead in shots on goal.

Instead of the struggling Katelyn Briguglio, who had started five games and played in all six for William & Mary, the Tribe started Grace Smith, who made her first appearance of the year.

Just like in the first half, Turner and the Maryland offense came out with confidence in the second. Turner almost scored twice in a 90-second span, missing wide right on one and off the crossbar on another.

However, William & Mary picked up its offense a bit in the second. Sami Grasso had the team’s best chance on a drive to the net, but her shot had enough hang time for Rachel Egyed to snag for the save. The forward kept it up, giving Maryland another scare that Egyed just got her hand on to force out of play.

The Terps pressured back, though, registering two shots on goal in a 30-second span. Both Kady Badham and Gi Krstec had beat the defenders, but couldn’t get the angle to score as Smith made both saves.

While William & Mary continued to test Maryland’s defense, the Terps’ backline didn’t break despite many scoring chances against. The Tribe registered six shots in the second half compared to only two in the first, but Egyed and the defense held strong to keep their opponent scoreless.

The Terps ended the game with seven more shots and six more shots on goal than the Tribe. Although William & Mary put pressure on Maryland, the Tribe only got two shots on goal, in part due to Maryland’s strong defense.

The Terps’ next game will be Sunday, Sept. 17, as the Terps travel to New Jersey to face No. 14 Rutgers.

Three things to know

1. Ray Leone rested many players in preparation for conference play. Defender Jlon Flippens, who’d played in all but 20 possible minutes, rested the whole night after four straight overtime games. Additionally, senior Chelsea Jackson only played 45 minutes after playing 451 of 505 possible minutes entering this game. Combine that with Mikayla Dayes missing her second straight game with an injury, and Leone seems to have used this game as a test of Maryland’s depth while giving some key players much needed rest.
2. This was one of Maryland’s most complete games yet. Despite having some key players on the bench, the Terps played a strong 90 minutes for the first time this season. Although the score was only 1-0, Maryland was in control for most of the game, making William & Mary earn every scoring chance.
3. The Terps have a break before Big Ten play. Maryland has nine days off before taking on Rutgers in its first conference game. This brief rest period comes at a perfect time for the Terps, who’ve played around 65 overtime minutes so far this season. After struggling mightily against Big Ten teams last year, the Terps are in great position to redeem themselves this season.