Preview: Maryland women’s soccer searches for rebound against No. 4 Rutgers

Coming off of a disappointing loss against Illinois, Maryland women’s soccer (2-2-5) looks to regroup against No. 4 Rutgers (9-1-0) on the road Sunday.

Maryland’s second conference game featured plenty of dramatics on both sides, but it was the Terps who held the upper hand early on when Alyssa Poarch took all of 14 seconds to break the game open with a blitz on the goal to put Maryland up 1-0.

The goal was also credited to Catherine DeRosa for her third setup of the season, and Poarch’s second score. They’ve both been critical cogs in Maryland’s offensive machine, as Poarch leads the team in shots taken (30) and DeRosa leads in assists (three).

The Terps entered the half ready to build on their lead after not getting as much done in the 44 minutes that ensued, with their defense having done much of the heavy lifting to that point.

Illinois, who lost its Big Ten opener against Michigan State in a 3-0 hammering, came out of the gates firing in the second half, a period which has usually been dominated by the Terps.

Sydney Stephens tied the match at one even in the 57th minute off a Maeve Jones assist, and Ella Karolak added another nine minutes later to create a 2-1 lead. 

Looking drastically different from the Illini team that had attempted just two shots in the first half, Illinois scored multiple goals on the Terps, a feat no other opponent had done this season.

Ashley Prell’s additional goal in the 73rd minute was icing on the cake for the Fighting Illini, which proved to be the score that put the game just out of reach for the Terps, whose late game rally came up just short. Mikayla Dayes gave the Terps a second goal off of an Olivia Hicks assist, but it wasn’t enough to take the day as Maryland succumbed to Illinois, 3-2.

“It’s just unfortunate it ended the way it did,” Poarch said. “I think we were just a little too lax tonight, Illinois is a very high-pressing team and I think there were times we played too dangerous.”

The Terps will look at cleaning up their scoring attack as the season progresses, as in nine games, they’ve taken a total of 106 shots but only have two wins to their record.

Maryland, who entered Thursday riding high after defeating Michigan for the first time ever, will now have to face Rutgers, who lost its match of the season against No. 17 Penn State, 2-0.

The loss broke a 20-game long win streak in the regular season for the Scarlet Knights dating back to last season. Their 2022 campaign was the first time they’ve won each of their first nine matches.

The Nittany Lions got an early lead in the ninth minute but they didn’t score again in the first half. Penn State’s defense kept Rutgers’ offense from attempting a shot until 19 minutes in.

Penn State scored again in the 54th minute, and its strong defense continued to shutout Rutgers for the first time this season.

Head-to-head, Maryland holds a 4-5-1 record against Illinois. Maryland won the last matchup in 2019.

The game will hold a special meaning to coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer, who graduated from and spent 14 years coaching at Rutgers, and now goes back to her old stomping ground for the first time as a head coach.

“It’s gonna be a little bit weird going back, going to the visitor locker room and remembering what bench I need to go to,” Nemzer said. “Rutgers has rebuilt that program, to see them where they are right now … it’ll be a good game for us to see where we stand with them.”

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday and will take place at Yurcak Field in New Brunswick.