After falling behind early 2-0 to Wisconsin it looked as if the Maryland Terrapins women’s soccer team was on their way to another Big Ten defeat; however, a deep goal from freshman Gi Krstec woke up a slumbering Terps’ offense. The team would respond with another goal and record a 2-2 draw against the No. 12 Badgers.
The scoring started in the 22 minute when sophomore forward Dani Rhodes shot from near the right post gave the Badgers an early 1-0 lead. A mere three minutes later Rhodes scored her second unassisted goal of the game, as Wisconsin found themselves with a comfortable two goal lead.
The scores were Rhodes’ seventh and eighth of the season giving her five more than any other Wisconsin player.
The first half was a struggle for the Maryland defense and seemed all too similar to the team’s last few matches. With the two goals allowed, the Terps have now given up multiple goals in three of their last four contests, after not allowing two or more scores in their first seven games.
Coming out of halftime, the Terps’ offense was struggling as well. Maryland had now been held to only one goal in their last 315 minutes of play.
However, this all changed in the 58 minute when freshman midfielder Gi Krstec took a shot from way outside the box.
That shot would find the back of the net as Wisconsin senior goalie Caitlyn Clem had snuck too far out the box and was unable to recover in time to save the shot. Krstec’s first goal of the season awakened the Terps’ offense.
“It really did,” head coach Ray Leone said about Krstec’s goal changing the tide of the game. “It just gave us life because now you’re in it all the way until the end.”
With a little confidence and some rhythm, Maryland was able to strike again in the 68 minute when junior defender Jenna Surdick found the back of the net to even the score at two.
“I think a little bit of the difference was we were just playing better,” Leone said about the second half momentum switch.
From there, neither team was able to break through. The game then headed to overtime, a deja vu scenario for Wisconsin, as they have now played in four straight overtime matches.
Twenty minutes later, the game ended in a tie, as neither Maryland or Wisconsin could muster anything in the overtime period.
For Wisconsin, the tie is their first of the season as they now sit a 8-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 in Big Ten play. The tie has to sting a little, as the Badgers looked to be in prime position to pull out a win before the Maryland rally.
On the other side, the Terps have to be happy with a tie, as they showed resilience and battled back against one of the best teams in the nation and now hold a record of 7-2-2 on the season and 1-2-1 in the conference.
“Definitely helps the confidence,” said redshirt senior Hope Gouterman. “It allows us to believe in ourselves more.”
The Terps also pulled off this victory without leading goal scorers Chelsea Jackson and Mikayla Dayes. Jackson will be out for the rest of the season, while Dayes has now missed six straight games with a knee injury.
In their absence, Krstec and Surdick, who both scored their first goals on Friday afternoon, stepped up in a big way.
“We have really good players who obviously we’re missing right now,” said Gouterman. “But I think that our resolve and our ability to find other people to step up and take that challenge is really important.”
It will be a quick turnaround for the Terps as they will take on Minnesota at 1 p.m. this Sunday in College Park.
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