Coming off a road trip in which the Maryland Terrapins women’s soccer team dropped two of their three conference matches, the Terps are probably excited to be back on their home turf. The reason: Maryland is a perfect 4-0 at Ludwig Field this season.
With a 1-2 record in conference play, Maryland (7-2-1) is hoping that some home cooking will help them return to their winning ways.
After starting the season with an unprecedented 6-0-1 record, the Terps have cooled off since entering Big Ten play, losing two of the three matchups and being shutout 2-0 in both of those losses.
The team’s first chance to heat up again will come against No. 24 Wisconsin (8-2, 2-1) on Friday afternoon in College Park at 3 p.m. The Badgers have had a strong 2017 up to this point and are only one win away from matching their win total from last season.
A great amount of Wisconsin’s success can be attributed to their strong defensive play. The Badgers have only allowed nine goals on 37 shots on goal through 10 games. Redshirt senior goalie Caitlyn Clem has been stellar in 2017 with five shutouts and a save percentage of .750.
After only managing one goal in their last 270 minutes of play, this matchup for the Maryland offense does not look ideal. Goal scorers like senior Chelsea Jackson and sophomore Jlon Flippens will have to make the most of the opportunities they get as there may not be too many.
As for the Wisconsin offense, the Maryland defense has struggled of late after starting off the season strongly. The Terps will have a tough task in trying to contain Badger’s sophomore forward Dani Rhodes. Rhodes, an All-Big Ten freshman in 2016, is showing no signs of a sophomore slump as she leads the team with six goals. Her six scores are three more than anyone else on the roster.
Following the matchup with Wisconsin, the Terps will have a quick turnaround and be back in action on Sunday to take on Minnesota (5-2-3, 1-1-1) at 1p.m. The Gophers may not be the same team that won 16 games last year, but their 2017 season has still been solid.
Like Wisconsin, Minnesota’s stingy defense could give the Terps problems as well. The Gophers have only allowed seven goals in 10 games this season and have recorded six shutouts. Junior goalie Kailee Sharp and freshman keeper Maddie Nielson have both played well in goal for the team.
To complement the strong defense, the Gophers have a pair of prolific scorers on the offensive side. Senior forward Sydney Squires has nine scores on the season which is good enough for the team lead and puts her in a tie for third in the nation. Senior forward Julianna Gernes has also had a great season, scoring five goals while only starting three games. Gerness ability to score off the bench gives the Gophers offense yet another weapon to use.
In both of these matchups, Maryland junior goalie Rachel Egyed will have her hands full as she looks to rebound from a couple of rough matches. After not allowing multiple goals in her first seven matches, Egyed has given up two goals in two of the Terps last three games.
The Terps offense will also look to wake up but will have to do it against two very strong defenses. Maryland could benefit from the potential return of freshman forward Mikayla Dayes. Dayes has missed the last five games with a knee injury but is still tied for the team lead in goals.
If Dayes cannot go, players senior forward Madison Turner and freshman midfielder Hope Lewandowski will look to try and pick up the slack and help Maryland get back to its scoring and winning ways.
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- Maryland women’s soccer stymied by No. 6 Penn State, 4-0 - September 15, 2023
