Maryland women’s soccer’s road woes continue in 2-0 loss to No. 7 Iowa

As Maryland women’s soccer continued to struggle again on the road, the Terps appeared lifeless as graduate forward/midfielder Kelli McGroarty headed a pass through the Maryland defense into the goal, sealing the win for the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes. 

The Terps (6-8-0, 2-5-0 Big Ten) lost 2-0 to the Hawkeyes (9-2-3, 4-1-2 Big Ten), dropping their sixth consecutive road game. Maryland has yet to score a goal in an away game this season.

Maryland came out against Iowa repeating the same mistakes it committed in almost all its road matches this season. Shot disparity proved to be the biggest issue of them all as they recorded their worst shot differential this season.

The Hawkeyes found themselves with multiple good looks at the goal early, but poor touches, missed balls and lack of attention prevented them from capitalizing on any scoring opportunities. With Maryland also surrendering many quick turnovers early, the two teams alternated possession. 

Iowa easily dominated the midfield battle early, as turnovers stifled the Terps’ chances of getting the ball anywhere near the Hawkeyes’ goal. Maryland also couldn’t find a way to get the ball to its leading goal scorers, redshirt junior forward Kelsey Smith and senior midfielder Ava Morales.

Maryland’s first shot came in the 25th minute as Morales sent a free kick toward the goal that hit off the top left corner post. The free kick attempt was one of two first-half shot attempts for the Terps. Through their first five road games this season, the Terps have only averaged 3.4 shot attempts per game. 

Soon after, in the 27th minute, graduate forward/midfielder Kenzie Roling appeared to find the first score of the game for Iowa until an official review determined that she was offside. 

Roling soon found her revenge, however, after her shot to the left of the net was placed out of reach of redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Faith Luckey’s diving attempt. The graduate’s first goal since August gave the Hawkeyes a one-score lead in the 34th minute.

With how Maryland has played in its away games this season and how its defense continued to play after the initial goal, it seemed as if the game may have already been put out of reach.

Maryland’s defense, which most recently came off a second-half collapse against Illinois, allowed nine shots in the first half. The Terps have averaged 18 shots allowed per game through their first five road contests. 

While shot disparity has been a major issue in all of their road games this season, it has been a frequent problem everywhere as of late. The Terps have allowed at least 13 shots in all of their road games this year, but they have also conceded at least 20 shots in three of their last four home matches.

Immediately into the second half, Iowa’s offensive domination continued. The Hawkeyes put up six shots within the first 10 minutes. 

In what appeared to be a possible display of frustration, the Terps received the first card of the match in the 61st minute. After an apparent shove from senior forward Delaney DeMartino on freshman midfielder Elle Wildman, DeMartino received a yellow card.

The Hawkeyes closed the door on the Terps in the 74th minute. Junior midfielder Sophia Bush was able to send a ball in from outside the right of the penalty box to McGroarty, who headed it into the net. McGroarty’s team-leading fifth goal of the season gave Iowa a comfortable lead. 

The Terps only mustered one shot in the final 45 minutes, and it came in the 90th minute. 

Throughout the entirety of the match, Maryland was outshot 27-3. The 24-shot differential was its worst this season, passing the Terps’ previous largest margin when they were outshot 20-1 against Old Dominion.