Maryland women’s soccer closes season with 1-0 loss to Indiana

Maryland women’s soccer couldn’t get on the board in its final game of the season on Sunday, losing to Indiana 1-0. The Terps finish the year with a 4-10-5 record and a 2-7-2 mark in the Big Ten.

The Hoosiers outshot the Terps 17-16, while both teams finished the match with six shots on goal apiece. The lone goal of the match came in the 37th minute off the foot of Indiana forward/midfielder Grace Geise.

Both teams entered this game without much to play for, as Maryland and Indiana had both been mathematically eliminated from the Big Ten tournament after losing their last game. But Maryland was still looking to defend its home turf, racking up six shots and two shots on goal in the early going.

However, Indiana was also up to the task offensively, getting on the board in the 37th minute to make the score 1-0. A well-executed couple of passes within the Maryland box opened up Geise for a wide-open look, which she converted for her second goal of the season.

Maryland did its best to try and equalize before the end of the half, getting a great look from freshman forward Emily McNesby, but she was unable to convert, sending the match into halftime with the Terps trailing by one.

After getting outshot by the Hoosiers in the first half, the Terps began to battle back and generate charges. By the 70th minute, Maryland had reached double-digit shots and was leading in shots on goal, 5-4. Darby Moore nearly tied the game in the 65th minute, but an incredible save by an Indiana defender right on the goal line kept the Hoosiers ahead.

Although Maryland was able to create several chances on goal, including one shot from Hope Lewandoski that hit off the crossbar, none of Maryland’s 16 shots were converted for a goal and the match ended with Indiana taking it 1-0.

Three Things to Know

1. Maryland should’ve scored this match. After seeing all the opportunities Maryland was able to create this game, it was really a shock that they weren’t able to score. They just couldn’t get the ball to bounce their way in this one.
2. Rachel Egyed had another great performance in her last game as a Terp. Game after game this season, the senior goalkeeper has been the leader of this Maryland defense. That was the case again in Sunday’s match, as Egyed made six saves, many of them with a high degree of difficulty. She will be missed next season.
3. Maryland’s final record is a little worse than last year’s. After finishing 7-8-3 last season, the Terps’ record dipped to 4-10-5 this year, although they did improve by one game in conference play (from 1-8-2 to 3-7-2). Maryland struggled scoring at several points this season, which ultimately led to its undoing. But a good deal of the players on Maryland’s attack this season were underclassmen. Alyssa Poarch, Emily McNesby, Anissa Mose, Malikae Dayes and Mikayla Dayes will all be returning next season with another year of experience under their belt, setting up for a potentially strong attack going forward.