Just when it seemed like Maryland was gonna finish with yet another draw to push its record to 2-2-6, Rutgers’ own Sara Brocious broke the hearts of the Terps with her goal in the 88th minute of regulation.
Brocious’ goal was the lone of the day, as No. 4 Rutgers defeated Maryland, 1-0.
Maryland women’s soccer battled against No. 4 Rutgers in its first conference road match of the season.
Both teams entered the match 1-1 in conference play, looking to bounce back from losses.
Rutgers, who went 10-0 against Big Ten opponents last year, already lost one this year.
The Scarlet Knights flexed their passing game early by cutting into the Maryland defense, keeping the Terps on their heels with three shots in the first 15 minutes. Maryland, to its credit, did not look intimidated.
The Terps dialed in on Riley Tiernan from the start, as she entered with the conference lead in assists (six).
Emory Wegener, who received her second start of the season and her first since the Wake Forest match, was tested more than anyone, even though Maryland did an admirable job frustrating Rutgers’ front line.
Maryland’s defense continued its strong play throughout the first half, limiting Rutgers to one shot in the first half. The Scarlet Knights entered averaging 8.8 shots-per-game.
The Terps couldn’t connect any passes into the Rutgers box as the swarming Scarlet Knights’ interior defense put out most of the Maryland scoring opportunities in the first period.
Rutgers, who entered with a 29:7 goal advantage, went into the break still searching for its first score.
Wegener was challenged not long into the second period as Sam Kroeger collected a loose ball for a point-blank shot attempt, but the Maryland goalkeeper fended off the shot to keep the match scoreless.
The Terps held strong when Rutgers got themselves a pair of corner kicks, and spent noticeably more time on offense to start the second half. The Terps got their second shot off of an Alyssa Poarch attempt, but it was caught by Rutgers goalkeeper Meagan McClelland.
Fouls rapidly became a presence in this game, as Maryland had 11 and Rutgers had nine by the 63rd minute.
Christa Waterman and Amanda Schafer turned in another impressive afternoon of holding down the Maryland defense, whether that be through highlight plays like Waterman’s clean steals off of Tiernan or Schafer’s continuous intercepting of the passing lanes.
Maryland gained a bit more momentum in the final ten minutes, and Mikayla Dayes and Amanda Schafer gained some steam down the stretch with some late-game attempts, but neither found the back of the net as fatigue started to set in.
The game’s chippiness continued to heighten, with Catherine DeRosa collecting a yellow card of her own to join the 15 fouls Maryland piled up compared to Rutgers’ 10.
Juliana Lynch’s corner kick with three minutes remaining was the last chance the Terps had to snap the tie.
At 87:48, Sara Brocious registered the go-ahead score off of an Allison Lowery assist, giving Rutgers a 1-0 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
Maryland failed to stage a comeback in the final 132 seconds, and the Terps dropped a tough match to the Scarlet Knights.
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