Maryland women’s soccer upsets No. 14 Northwestern, 2-1

Maryland women’s soccer pulled off the senior day upset on Sunday, beating No. 14 Northwestern 2-1 at Ludwig Field.

Both of Maryland’s goals came in the first half, coming in the 16th and 34th minutes, with Northwestern’s lone goal coming in the 54th minute. Northwestern also outshot Maryland 21 to 8, getting the edge with shots on goal as well at 8 to 4.

On senior day, it was sophomore midfielder Anissa Mose making her presence known early. She made a nice cross off a short-played corner, and was able to get herself free at the edge of the box to get off Maryland’s first shot of the day.

It wasn’t long after, though, that Jarena Harmon stole back the spotlight. In the 16th minute, midfielder Darby Moore played a perfect ball through the center of the Northwestern defense to Harmon at the top of the box, where she was able to fire a missile into the top right corner to make it 1-0 Terps.

Maryland kept up the pressure from that point on, pressing the Northwestern defense and creating chances throughout the half. That pressure came to fruition again in the 34th minute, as freshman midfielder Loren Sefcik put one past the Northwestern keeper for her first college goal. Similar to the first score, the setup came off a ball played wide by midfielder Hope Lewandoski where Sefcik was able to meet it and hit an incredible volley into the top left corner to make it 2-0 Maryland going into the half.

With Northwestern entering the second half facing their largest deficit of the season, the Wildcats came out aggressively looking to cut the lead. And they were able to do just that in the 54th minute, as Aspyn Repp was able to lose her defender right in front of the goal and head the ball into the top left corner, making it 2-1.

As Maryland’s attack began to fade into the second half, Northwestern kept at it offensively. By gaining an apparent edge in possession, Northwestern was able to keep the ball on Maryland’s half of the field and probe for chances. But senior goalkeeper Rachel Egyed wasn’t having any of that, making multiple impressive saves to keep the Terps ahead.

By roughly the 80-minute mark, Northwestern appeared to be sending almost its entire 11 into the attacking zone, trying to get as many bodies in the box as possible to try and find a late equalizer. But the Wildcats left themselves vulnerable to a quick counterattack from Maryland, which Alyssa Poarch almost converted into a goal that would’ve sealed the game.

The final 10 minutes were largely dominated by Northwestern, with Maryland holding on and trying to survive until full time. But Maryland was able to weather the Wildcat attack, winning the match 2-1.

Maryland will be back on the road this for their next matchup, as they travel from College Park to State College to face Penn State on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Three things to know

1. Maryland doesn’t win this without Rachel Egyed. After getting ahead two goals in the first half, Maryland slowed down offensively and had to rely on its senior goalkeeper to get the team to the finish line. Although she has had games earlier this season where she’s had more saves, this performance looks like Egyed’s signature moment as a Terp.
2. This is Maryland’s first win over a ranked opponent in four years. Back in 2014, Maryland beat No. 25 Rutgers 2-0. Since then, Maryland hadn’t defeated a ranked opponent until Subday’s match. Beating ranked opponent can provide a major boost to a team looking to make a late-season push, so this win was just what the Terps needed.
3. Jarena Harmon now has six goals on the season. With her goal in the win, Harmon now sits at double the total of last season’s scoring leader. Harmon’s had her best scoring season as a Terp in her senior year, and will likely be relied on further as the season nears its end.