Maryland women’s soccer seeks first road win against No. 4 UCLA

Photo by Rose Fernandes/ Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

After dropping Thursday’s contest to USC 3-0, Maryland women’s soccer will look to split its West Coast road trip on Sunday.

The loss dropped the Terps (6-5, 2-2 Big Ten) to a .500 conference record, and they now face a significant challenge as they are scheduled to play No. 4 UCLA (7-2-1, 3-1-1 Big Ten). After finishing second in the Big Ten standings in their first year in the conference, the Bruins currently sit atop the Big Ten. 

Many familiar struggles resurfaced for Maryland in its loss to USC. The Terps once again started slowly, struggling to manage time of possession, foul trouble, and shot disparity throughout the match.

The Terps were outshot 15-4 by the Trojans, allowing four shots to sophomore forward Faith George and three shots to USC’s leading goal-scorer, junior forward Maribel Flores. While both sides recorded five fouls each throughout the match, two of Maryland’s fouls proved costly. The penalties led to a free kick goal from Flores and a penalty kick score from sophomore forward/midfielder Katie Park. 

Maryland has struggled offensively in all of its road games this season. The Terps are winless when traveling, suffering losses to Old Dominion, James Madison, then-No. 8 Penn State, and USC. Through those four games, the Terps have been outscored 10 to 0. 

The Terps now face a Bruins team that has dominated at home this season, boasting a 4-1 record. All four victories have come via shutouts. 

Whether playing at home or on the road, UCLA’s defense has consistently been one of the best in all of NCAA women’s soccer. All seven of the Bruins’ victories have been shutouts, and in their three other games, UCLA has surrendered just three goals. Their .300 goals against average currently ranks fourth-best amongst all DI women’s soccer teams. 

A major factor in UCLA’s defensive success has been the stellar performances of its goalkeepers. The Bruins rank second in the Big Ten with a 90% save percentage.

In net for the Bruins is primarily goalkeeper Daphne Nakfoor. The freshman, who earned Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week and Big Ten Conference Goalkeeper of the Week honors earlier this season, has 24 saves in 765 minutes played. Nakfoor sports a 0.35 goals against average — second-best in the Big Ten. 

On the other end of the pitch for the Bruins, the attack has been subpar in scoring goals. UCLA sits in the bottom five of the Big Ten in total goals scored with 12 on the season. 

Junior forward Oruha Hayashi leads UCLA in total shots taken with 18, but she only has one goal so far with a 5.6 shot percentage. Sophomore forward Bella Winn leads the Bruins in goals with three, with her most recent coming on Sep. 13 against Oregon.

Despite UCLA’s strong defense, scoring will be essential for Maryland to earn at least a point. In all three games in which UCLA’s opponents have scored, the result has been either a draw or a loss for the Bruins.