Eighteen minutes into Sunday’s matinee towards Saint Joseph’s, Maryland girls’s soccer graduate ahead Alyssa Poarch got here inches away from kicking off the scoring, however her left-footed curling effort hit the crossbar, got here down proper on the objective line, and by some means didn’t discover its method into the again of the online.
Missed possibilities have been a theme all day for the Terps as they tied Saint Joseph’s in a scoreless draw.
Regardless of ending the competition outshooting Saint Joseph’s, 12-3, and dominating play from the onset, Maryland was held to 1 or fewer targets for the sixth time in seven video games to start out the season.
“You realize, we created sufficient to win the sport, , however we’ll have to return and clear issues up somewhat bit,” head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer stated postgame.
In the end, Maryland’s 15 seniors and graduate student-athletes weren’t in a position to cap off Senior Day on a excessive notice, as Maryland’s draw brings its file to 1-1-5 forward of convention play.
The Terps can have an prolonged five-day break earlier than internet hosting Michigan Friday evening of their first Huge Ten matchup of the season.
The Terps’ efficiency was evening and day from Sunday’s loss towards Wake Forest, as they got here out with their foot on the gasoline and by no means actually let go, however they simply couldn’t discover the best foot within the attacking third.
Sunday’s refereeing concerned few whistles, with each coaches exhibiting their fixed frustration.
Within the opening 20 minutes, Maryland registered a few harmful photographs on objective, together with Poarch’s 18th-minute shot off the woodwork.
Regardless of the dominant opening show from the Terps, the dearth of capitalization early began to offer the Hawks some momentum as the sport stretched into the latter elements of the primary half.
The Terps have been practically tripling Saint Joe’s in photographs as the sport approached 10 minutes left within the opening half, however the Hawks got here near scoring, requiring a goal-line clearance from graduate defender Christa Waterman to maintain the rating knotted at zero.
The path of the matchup began to really feel eerily much like final yr’s draw between these groups, because the opening 45 minutes noticed the Terps dominate however with no targets to point out for it.
The second half started very like the primary, however with worsening circumstances on the sector, play grew to become even sloppier, with little to no hazard arriving within the remaining third for both aspect.
As Maryland continued to dominate the possession recreation, it appeared prefer it was set to interrupt by. Poarch was taken down for a seemingly clear foul that may’ve led to a penalty kick, however the official, who was letting each groups play all through the match, noticed no infraction.
“You simply type of need to cope with the circumstances that you just’re given. When the referee calls like in the present day, or when the ball doesn’t bounce your method, you simply type of cope with it,” Maryland graduate defender Amanda Schafer stated.
The Terps gained momentum after the no-call, retaining play within the Hawks’ finish for the remaining half-hour.
Within the sixtieth minute, graduate attacker Kam Fisher acquired a cross proper to her ft in the midst of the 18-yard-box, however a cross-body shot whistled a couple of ft extensive of the put up.
Whereas the house aspect continued to place the press on, freshman defender Tahirah Turnage misplaced possession within the sixty fifth minute, resulting in a two-on-one counter for Saint Joseph’s. Graduate defender Amanda Schafer, seeing Malikae Dayes in hassle, outran each participant on the sector — from practically one field to the opposite — to stall the damaging likelihood in its tracks.
It was one in every of many unimaginable performs in an excellent efficiency from the fullback.
Saint Joseph’s continued to be on their heels, nevertheless it grew to become a strategic play as the sport winded down within the remaining 20 minutes.
Every Maryland break — and there have been loads of them — noticed seven or eight Hawks already awaiting the Terrapin assault.
“If we had one other 45 minutes, I feel we’d have gotten a chance and put one at the back of the online,” Nemzer added.
The photographs would preserve piling in for Maryland, however they couldn’t discover the seams for open possibilities, and when there was a couple of ft of house, these alternatives got here from outdoors the field with photographs flying excessive and extensive.
The shortage of capacity to take benefit on their possibilities led to a different draw for the Terps — their fifth in seven video games.
The consequence continues a troubling theme for this Maryland workforce; its optimistic play shouldn’t be resulting in optimistic outcomes.
The Terps should drastically enhance their ending skills earlier than starting convention play this Friday towards the Michigan Wolverines.
“New season, new workforce, new alternative. And simply suppose that after we come into Friday, it’s gonna be a present, and we’re able to carry out and present everyone what we’ve been engaged on,” a assured Olivia Hicks stated.
Three issues to know
1. The scoring woes proceed and it received’t fly in convention play. Frankly, Maryland had 4 or 5 prime possibilities Sunday. The Terps protection was stable in the present day, nevertheless it didn’t matter as a result of they generated few possibilities themselves. The Huge Ten might be the second-best convention in girls’s soccer, and Maryland’s solely recreation scoring greater than a objective this season got here towards a lackluster George Mason squad. Merely put, the standard of play is there for Maryland, however success comes from scoring, and that hasn’t arrived but because the third week of the season approaches.
“Everybody’s acquired to be a objective scorer. In order that’s gonna be the message this week,” Nemzer stated.
2. A disappointing consequence for a superior Maryland workforce. Head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer knew that her Terps would spend a lot of the sport on the ball towards St. Joseph’s, they usually spent practically all the recreation with possession, however the Hawks strategized for that. The Hawks allowed 17 targets of their first seven video games, and the Terps failing to attain on any of their quite a few alternatives is a serious disappointment towards a workforce liable to giving up targets.
3. Amanda Schafer impressed. Schafer was clearly the perfect participant on the sector Sunday. She started the sport at proper again earlier than transitioning to left again early within the second half. She was the Terps’ most lively defender whereas creating most of Maryland’s attacking possibilities. Up and down the sector, from her personal field to the attacking finish, it was a inventive show from the graduate defender.
“Amanda is unbelievable. What she does for us on the defensive aspect is unbelievable, but additionally on the attacking aspect and I feel she’s offering nice perception of how we wish to play the ball,” Nemzer stated.
