Maryland women’s soccer defeats Michigan in conference opener, 1-0

Mikayla Dayes dealt a shot to the back of the net in the 70th minute off of a Juliana Lynch delivery, giving the Terps a 1-0 lead.

Maryland shutout the Wolverines the rest of the way, securing the 1-0 shutout win.

Maryland women’s soccer battled against Michigan in its Big Ten opener Friday night.

Big Ten significance aside, Michigan was about as daunting of an opponent as Maryland has seen to start its season. The reigning conference champions boast five wins, had yet to lose a game on the road (4-0), and their 26 goals through eight matches are tied for the most the Wolverines ever scored in such a period.

In case that wasn’t enough, Michigan held a lifetime 8-0 record against Maryland dating back to the teams’ first conference matchup in 2014.

“It means everything,” goalkeeper Madeline Smith said. “You saw how we celebrated, it’s like we had just won the World Cup.”

Maryland came out of the gate firing, quickly turning defense into offense in the opening seconds as the Terps recorded their first shot within the first 30 seconds of the game. Midfielder Catherine DeRosa broke free, but was deflected at the goal.

While the Terps entered the game looking to create early offense, Michigan counteracted their measures by adeptly reading the passing lanes to keep Maryland honest to start.

The Terps got their opportunities by getting out ahead of the pack in transition, evidenced by their first attempt of the night, as well as Dayes’ shot at 21:03, but her look was also blocked.

The seemingly evenly-matched first period started to slowly tip in favor of the Wolverines in terms of offense, as Michigan had piled up four shots by the halfway point, all of which within goal range. The Terps recorded three shots, only one of them shot within range.

Forward Sammi Woods, holding the team lead in goals on the season (seven) going into tonight, was held in check by Maryland defender Amanda Schafer throughout the first 45 minutes. Woods, who played every minute of the first half, never took a shot.

The second half has proved to be the most active portion of the match for the Terps this season, as they have attempted more than double as many shots (57) than in the first half (25).

The Terps started off the fresh half with relatively sluggish play, letting the Wolverines pick up where they left off. Eight minutes in, however, forwards Alina Stahl and Alyssa Poarch took a pair of shots to swing some of the momentum, which promptly led to Maryland taking its first corner kick of the night.

That brief barrage of attempts helped to close the shot disparity, as Maryland had suddenly racked up six shots to Michigan’s seven in the first twenty minutes.

At the 69:20 mark, Dayes snapped the scoring drought by finding the bottom center of the net off of a feed from Lynch to suddenly take the lead for the first time. The goal was Dayes’ first of the season, and Lynch’s second assist.

Michigan came back the other way and found the net themselves at 76:07, but the shot was waved off due to an offsides penalty called against the Wolverines.

Michigan fought until the bitter end as the Wolverines put up a few more shots in the waning minutes, but Maryland held on to seal its first Big Ten win since 2019. 

“We’re known for our second half performances,” coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer said. “[At halftime] we spoke [for] about 45 minutes to make history. We spoke [for] about 45 minutes to dig deep, give back everything they have for this program, because they have a lot [of] pride in Maryland. Winners know why they win.”