Preview: Maryland women’s soccer opens conference play against Michigan

Coming off of its fifth tie in seven matches this season, Maryland women’s soccer (1-1-5) searches for a statement win over Big Ten opponent Michigan (5-2-1) Friday night.

The Terps toiled away against Saint Joseph’s for 90 long minutes their last time out, which ended in a 0-0 stalemate. Both teams’ performances were as messy as the field of play, with the soaked turf leading to multiple Terps taking a tumble at some point.

While in other games Maryland let its opponent score first and opted to spend the rest of the match playing catch-up, this time around the Terps failed to connect on any of their opportunities whenever they got deep into Saint Joseph’s territory.

The inability to capitalize on the moment showed in shot attempts, as Maryland ended with just as many goals as its opponent despite taking 12 shots to the Hawks’ three. The disparity in corner kicks was also stark, as the Terps held a 9:2 edge in that department.

The Terps played almost the entire match on offense, so their coming up empty for the first time all season cut deep as their continuous aggression was for naught.

“We spoke about taking more opportunities, and I think that we did that, and I think it’s now just decision-making,” coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer said. “Instead of taking that 20 yard shot, can we now find that extra pass in the box, and I think that’s the difference between a 0-0 and 1-0.”

Madeline Smith will return as the starting goalkeeper after graduate student Emory Wegener got the start on senior day. Wegener managed to coast in an outing which saw Saint Joseph fail to even attempt a single shot within range of goal.

Senior forward Alina Stahl has been a key force on Maryland’s offense. Stahl leads the Terps in goals (three), assists (two) and points (eight).

Michigan, for its part, looms as the reigning Big Ten champs and participated in the NCAA quarterfinals a year ago, and have done a good job building off of last year’s success.

Midfielder Meredith Haakenson and forward Sammi Woods each scored two goals for the Wolverines in a 7-2 thrashing of Toledo in Michigan’s last time out.

Woods has been dominant for the Wolverines offense. Woods leads the team in goals (seven) and points (15).

Similarly to Maryland, Michigan held a domineering shot advantage over its opponent as the Wolverines took 15 shots compared to Toledo’s four, only in Michigan’s case, the Wolverines connected on nearly half of their attempts on the day.

The Wolverines were tied with the Rockets through 50 minutes after Toledo’s Mia Leonetti got  a header to go in at the 47:52 mark, but the floodgates burst open soon after. Michigan scored three rapid-fire goals within the next 20 minutes alone, piling on some more at the end to secure the win for the wolverines.

Maryland will host Michigan for the penultimate game of its extensive homestand. Though the Wolverines are undefeated on the road (4-0) this season, the Terps will look to rise to the challenge.

“We’re excited … it’s a new season, new team, new opportunities,” senior defender Olivia Hicks said. “Once we come into Friday, it’s gonna be a show. We’re ready to perform and show everybody what we’ve been working on.”

The Terps will kick off against Michigan at 7 p.m. at Ludwig Field in College Park.