Early red card, untimely fouls doom Maryland women’s soccer in 3-1 loss to Florida

Following a questionable first-half red card called on defender Mia Mitchell while she was in pursuit of the ball, the Terps were forced to play a player down for the remaining 70 minutes.

Maryland (4-2) committed a costly eight fouls, matching a season high, in its 3-1 loss to the Florida Gators (3-2). Maryland’s first loss of the season comes at the hands of sloppy play and an early disadvantage that spoiled its perfect start at home.

Neither team was able to get a good look at the goal early, as both sides repeatedly changed possession and traded throw-ins. Soon after, though, both teams slowed their pace and began to let their possessions develop.

Sophomore midfielder Ellie Egeland, who started on Sunday, continued her aggressive play early, getting two shots on goal within the first nine minutes. However, both shots were saved by Florida goalkeeper Paloma Peña. 

The Gators were first to score on Sunday in the 14th minute after they committed three early offsides. A header assist from senior defender Lauren McCloskey following a Florida free kick set up midfielder Charlotte McClure to turn and shoot from the middle of the penalty box, reaching the top right corner of the net.

Florida again threatened the Terps’ defense soon after as two Gators charged toward the net, but this time, Maryland goalkeeper Faith Luckey was able to make a spectacular diving save to the left of the net.

Already down 1-0, Maryland faced another setback in the 20th minute, as redshirt sophomore Mitchell drew a red card, leaving the Terps with 10 players on the field for most of the game.

Florida forward Addy Hess was driving down the field with the ball as Mitchell kept pace with her. Although it appeared their feet got tangled, leading Hess to fall to the ground, the referees deemed Mitchell’s play deserving of an ejection.

“(The referees) thought it was a denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity,” said Maryland head coach Michael Marchiano. “It doesn’t matter if I agree or disagree, if they’re right or wrong, it’s what happened.”

Florida led Maryland in shots 9-4 and corner kicks 3-0, but the teams were tied 3-3 in shots on goal entering halftime. Three of the Terps’ four shots came from Egeland alone, who leads the Terps in shots and shots on goal this season. Their other shot, which was on goal, came from forward Gemma Davitian.

Twelve minutes into the second half, Maryland found itself in foul trouble again. Defender Ella Bulava got caught tripping Hess from behind in the box, marking Maryland’s second foul on the redshirt freshman. Hess scored on her penalty kick, slotting the ball in the bottom left corner beyond Luckey’s reach. 

Defender Tahirah Turnage-Morales got the Terps on the board with her first collegiate goal in the 58th minute. Kelsey Smith fired the ball across the box to Turnage-Morales, setting her up in front of the net for a chip-in to narrow Florida’s lead to 2-1.

Hess put the game away for the Gators in the 80th minute after her shot on goal deflected off Luckey’s hands and into the right of the net, pushing Florida’s lead back to two.

Florida dominated the Terps throughout the match in terms of shot opportunities. The Gators accumulated 21 total shots, with 11 on goal, while Maryland was only able to get off eight total shots, six of which were on goal. 

Their performance was the first of its kind at home this season. In their 4-0 start at home, the most shots they allowed were six against Navy, while the fewest shots they took were 12, also against Navy.

Despite the disparities on the stat sheet, Marchiano focused on the team’s intangibles.  

“I’m really proud of the energy that the girls put into the game today … I think it’s contagious and they sort of share that energy with each other,” Marchiano said. 

The Terps will look to bounce back on Thursday evening as they travel to Harrisonburg, Va., to face James Madison University.