Maryland
Maryland women’s soccer vs James Madison preview
After falling in its last match to American, Maryland women’s soccer looks to bounce back on Sunday.
Maryland (1-1-1) will face James Madison (1-1-1) in the first half of a men’s and women’s soccer doubleheader at Ludwig Field.
Kick-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the match will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
James Madison Dukes (1-1-1, 0-0-0 Sun Belt Conference)
2023 record: 9-5-8, 4-1-5 Sun Belt Conference
The Dukes head into the match off a 3-3 draw with La Salle at home on Thursday. Despite having the same record as the Terps, James Madison had a relatively stronger start to the season, scoring three goals in both its season opener and its most recent match. However, it lost 2-0 to Virginia Tech in its second match. The Dukes also fared much better in 2023, winning nine matches compared to Maryland’s three.
Players to watch
Ariana Reyes, redshirt junior forward/midfielder, No. 22 — Reyes leads James Madison this season with two goals and two assists. Reyes has a perfect shooting percentage and has already scored a game-winner. She’s taken a huge step this season after recroding one goal and no assists in 2023.
Shea Collins, senior forward/defender, No. 2 — Collins has been a strong force for James Madison early on, notching goal and two assists thus far. Last season, Collins had three goals and five assists in 22 games and 19 starts.
Sofia DeCerb, redshirt freshman goalkeeper, No. 21 — DeCerb is getting her first taste of collegiate soccer as James Madison’s goalkeeper in 2024. Through three games, she has allowed five goals for a 1.67 goals against average. DeCerb has made 14 saves this season on a 73.7% save percentage.
Strength
Goals. James Madison is averaging two goals per game this season. The Dukes have also outscored their opponents six to five. In 2023, the Dukes scored 29 goals, which was 10 more than the 19 scored by their opponents.
Weakness
Shots. The Dukes have been outshot 39 to 26 by opponents thus far in 2024. Opponents have also had 19 shots on goal compared to James Madison’s 10. James Madison’s shots on goal percentage is 38.5% compared to its opponent’s 48.7%.
Three things to watch
1. Can the Terps bounce back? On Thursday night, a sign of last year’s squad creeped back into fruition as the Terps went scoreless against American. After scoring two goals in each of their first two games, the Terps were not sound offensively.
After Thursday’s game, Maryland head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer said, “I know that we have goal scorers. Today just wasn’t our night.”
2. Men’s and women’s doubleheader. Maryland men’s and women’s soccer will both play home games at Ludwig Field on Sunday. The women’s soccer game against James Madison will start at 5 p.m. and the men’s game against Georgetown will follow at 7:45 p.m.
3. Who will step up offensively? Maryland is looking for someone to take the lead and step up offensively in 2024. There are a few players on the brink of having productive seasons, including Ava Morales, Kennedy Bell and Kelsey Smith. The Terps will hope for one of those players to take the lead and be a primary scorer this season.
A University of Maryland (UMD) football player was arrested for harassment, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
Dontay Joyner, a defensive back and rising senior at UMD, was charged with telephone misuse for making repeated calls, electronic communications harassment, and violating release conditions, a misdemeanor offense, according to court records.
Joyner’s attorney is calling the ordeal “outrageous,” saying “[Joyner] has been locked in a cage in Harford County for seven nights after being charged with a misdemeanor for telephone misuse for texting his longtime girlfriend during an argument. This is simply outrageous.”
Joyner’s attorney, Former Attorney General Douglas Gansler, said the 21-year-old has never been in trouble with the law and does not own a handgun. According to Gansler, Joyner’s girlfriend is “fully supportive of him and does not want to press charges.”
According to the UMD Terps website, Joyner is a Lakeland, Florida, native who previously attended Arkansas State. In the spring, Joyner was given the Nick Cross Defensive Back Award in a tradition that honors “past terrapin greats.”
According to court records, Joyner was held without bond.
WJZ has reached out to UMD officials for comment.
In Maryland, residents can find parades, concerts, history programs, fireworks, volunteer opportunities and family-friendly celebrations leading up to Independence Day.
America250, the national semiquincentennial initiative, is encouraging communities to take part through local commemorations, block parties, service projects and July 4 events. State and local commissions, historical societies, museums, libraries, parks departments and civic groups are also hosting events tied to the milestone.
Open primaries advocate Jeremy Gruber says nearly 100,000 independent voters in D.C. remain locked out of primary elections despite voters overwhelmingly approving open primaries in 2024. On The Final 5 with Jim Lokay, he blames the D.C. Council for refusing to fund the change and says similar efforts are gaining momentum in Maryland, where more than one million independents are also excluded from primaries. Gruber argues that in many one-party jurisdictions, the primary is effectively the election, making voter access even more critical.
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