Maryland women’s soccer downs George Mason, 2-0

Maryland women’s soccer had bombarded the George Mason net all match but were still searching for a goal in the 38th minute. Then Catherine DeRosa came up clutch.

DeRosa hit an absolute belter from way outside the box, straight to the top-right corner of the net to put the Terps up 1-0. 

“I’ve been doing this a long time and I can continue to say this, I think [DeRosa’s] one of the best captains that I’ve ever had the privilege to coach,” coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer said. “She is the heart and soul of this team.”   

Maryland (2-1-4) cruised the rest of the way, downing George Mason (0-7) at Ludwig Field on Thursday, 2-0. 

“I think what makes the team so special is their desire to win and put Maryland on the map,” Nemzer said.  

The Terps attempted 28 shots, their most since 2015 when they attempted 30 shots against Yale. Maryland struggled to be clinical, as thirteen of its shots were on target but only two found the back of the net. Still, the Patriots never seemed within striking distance as they had no answers for the Terps’ defense.

“I think you can see how dangerous we are, and we just need to finish our chances,” sophomore midfielder Ava Morales said. 

Maryland held George Mason without a shot for the entire match, the first time that has happened since the school joined the Big Ten in 2014. 

Maryland brought the energy from the start with an early shot in the first minute from Peyton Bernard that forced a parry from George Mason goalkeeper Ginny Fronk. Madison Krakower almost curled the ensuing corner in for an olimpico goal, but Fronk once again came to the rescue for the Patriots.

Fronk faced an assault from Maryland’s attackers all game and recorded a season-high 11 saves despite the loss. 

The Terps released a near relentless attack on the Patriots’ goal in the first half, attempting 14 shots. George Mason appeared overmatched and it struggled to keep possession for even a short period of time. 

A frenzy occurred in front of the Patriots’ cage in the 14th minute, and Isabel DiPrima won a header for a prime scoring opportunity. But it hit the crossbar and bounced out, keeping the match scoreless.

Katie Coyle launched a shot in the 34th minute that required another save from Fronk, her fourth in a row. 

Despite its early dominance, Maryland couldn’t find the back of the net in the early going with several good looks sailing over or wide of the goal. That changed in the 38th minute with the world-class goal from DeRosa to help the Terps jump out to a 1-0 lead. 

Maryland commanded the first half, attempting 14 shots with seven on target alongside 10 corners. The Patriots failed to find anything on offense on their end.

Lauren Wrigley made an incisive run around a player in the 55th minute in search of a 2-0 Terps lead, but her shot attempt from the top of the eighteen struck the woodwork.

As Maryland looked to be slowing down, Morales notched her second goal of the year in the 64th minute against the run of play with a fantastic finish from outside the box to beat George Mason’s goalkeeper.

“I intercepted the ball and then I just took my space,” Morales said. “I saw the goalie was shifted over and that’s kind of like my money shot so I had to take it.” 

The goal ignited a fire within the Terps, which led to a sustained period of attacks. 

Coyle was unable to extend Maryland’s lead to three in the 75th minute when her shot on a volley off a corner was kept out by another Fronk save. 

The Terps eventually settled into a slower rhythm and comfortably closed out the match to earn their second win. 

Maryland will look to pick up its third win in a row on Sunday against Binghamton.