Maryland women’s soccer drops horrendous match against No. 20 Ohio State, 7-0

22 minutes in, Ohio State’s Kailyn Dudukovich sent a penalty kick through Maryland’s net. This marked the second time Dudukovich won a penalty for the Buckeyes, and would count as their fifth goal scored on the Terps to that point.

Ohio State’s offense showed no mercy against Maryland, scoring five times in the first period as the Buckeyes dominated the Terps from the very beginning. Maryland women’s soccer never had a chance against No. 20 Ohio State, losing in big fashion to the Buckeyes, 7-0.

The match got off to about as bad of a start as possible for the Terps, as Ohio State’s Emma Sears carved up the Maryland defense on the very first drive of the match to take the lead 32 seconds in. The forward added to her team-high in goals, with her seventh on the season.

Less than four minutes later, the Buckeyes scored again. Sears flummoxed the defense again for her second straight goal and eighth of the season, passing her 2020 campaign output which saw her score seven.

The Terps, unable to catch a break early, wasted no time relenting their third goal of the game, this time to forward Kayla Fischer in the sixth minute. Fischer, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, entered today red hot, making today the fourth game in a row she found the back of the net.

This was not an optimal opening for goalkeeper Emory Wegener, who got the start over Madeline Smith, her fourth start in five games.

In the 12th minute, Dudukovich took a penalty kick for the Buckeyes that found its way past Wegener for their fourth goal already. The Ohio State attack showed its rapid pace early on with nine shots in the first quarter of the period, while the Terps still searched for their first attempt.

The Terps, enduring a brutal start on the defensive end, were now focused on simply getting out of their own territory.

Fischer won a second penalty for Ohio State at the 22’ mark, with Dudukovich yet again taking the attempt and once more capitalizing. The forward, who entered tonight with three goals, had already accumulated two more.

Maryland, despite facing a five goal disparity, did a better job establishing itselves in the game from this point on. Their best shot came with five minutes remaining in the period, but the Ohio State back line snuffed forward Alyssa Poarch’s attempt to break the shutout.

The Terps went into the half still scoreless, but had gained some steam in their own offense, having taken five shots compared to the Buckeyes’ 12.

Perhaps looking for anything to change the tides, coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer inserted usual starter Smith in goal to start the second half.

Interestingly, Maryland spent the opening minutes in the second period controlling the pace, collecting a pair of corner kicks in the first five minutes on top of another shot attempt.

The Ohio State offense, however, could only be contained for so long. Dudukovich scored her third straight goal of the night at 58:47, and midfielder Kine Flotre tacked on another 29 seconds later to push the lead to a commanding 7-0 to completely take the air out of a suddenly inspired Maryland attack.

The Terps did a good job warding off the Buckeyes for the remainder of the period, but the damage was already done. The Buckeyes took 23 shots, while the Terps contributed a paltry eight on the night.

Ohio State dominated from start to finish, downing Maryland, 7-0.

The match represented the lowest point in Maryland’s season that went sideways in the second half. The loss was the Terps’ sixth straight, dropping them to 2-7-5 on the season, and 1-6 in Big Ten play.