Preview: Maryland women’s soccer plays host to Purdue in Big Ten home opener

Maryland women’s soccer (3-2-4) plays its second Big Ten game against Purdue (3-6). The Terps are looking to bounce back following a tough loss to then-No. 6 Penn State last Friday. 

Maryland suffered a 4-0 loss to the Nittany Lions in its Big Ten opener, ending a six-game unbeaten run. The Terps struggled to contain the explosive Penn State offense and were outshot 27-2 in the contest. 

Junior goalkeeper Liz Beardsley was one of the few bright spots for Maryland, recording a season-high eight saves in the match. Beardsley also has a Big Ten-leading five shutouts this year. 

Another player who stood out versus Penn State was freshman outside back Kennedy Bell, who was lively on both sides of the pitch. She nearly scored early on in the contest but her shot narrowly missed the goal. 

Coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer has been full of praise for the young defender, calling her “one of the best outside backs in the country” in only her first year of college. 

The Terps are hoping for a better result against Purdue, who has lost five of its last six games. The Boilermakers were defeated 1-0 by No. 18 Northwestern their last time out. 

“Whoever we’re playing next is the most important game, and we’re ready to make a statement in the Big Ten,” senior midfielder Catherine DeRosa said.

DeRosa has been a steady leader for the young team and provided much needed defensive cover in the midfield.  

Nemzer knows her team has to clean up some areas if they want to get the kind of results they expect. 

“I think recognizing how do we be smarter, how do we be a little more disciplined in the details on the defensive side, and then on the attacking side, we got to get our forwards back in the scoring column as well,” Nemzer said. 

Purdue has a goal differential of zero so far this season, scoring 15 but giving up the same amount. 

Maryland has been slightly outscored, 10-9, by its opponents this season.  

The Boilermakers are led on the attack by sophomore forward Kayla Budish, who has scored three times and assisted on two goals this year. Junior midfielder and forward Gracie Dunaway has also been a key player, scoring two goals against Iona.  Another Boilermaker to watch out for is freshman striker Lauren Omholt. She has a team-high 11 shots-on-goal. 

Senior goalie Charlotte Cyr has started nine games this season and collected 26 saves while allowing 14 goals. 

Purdue leads the all-time series 4-3, but the Terps defeated the Boilermakers 3-1 in their final game of last season. Maryland’s leading scorer this season, sophomore midfielder Ava Morales, scored the first two goals of her collegiate career in that game. 

This game provides an opportunity for the Terps to get back on track and set the tone for the rest of Big Ten play. Nemzer knows every game in the conference will be a grind.

“I think it’s the best conference in the country,” Nemzer said. 

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday at Ludwig Field.