Chelsea Jackson clenched her fist and screamed. She looked toward the sideline. Forward Jarena Harmon embraced her.
After scoring the Maryland women’s soccer team’s first goal of the season to tie the game in the 22nd minute, the junior midfielder, who transferred from Oklahoma in the offseason, celebrated with her new teammates.
The Terps’ ability to match TCU’s early lead was the kind of performance first-year coach Ray Leone hoped for in his Ludwig Field debut, but the Horned Frogs converted on a score with about two minutes left in extra time to hand Maryland a 2-1 loss.
“Transfers and freshmen can come in and bring something to the table,” Jackson said. “We can see success from that. It’s important to remember this feeling and hold it with us.”
Leone wanted to see good defending, and the Terps allowed four total shots on goal and watched TCU endure a 78-minute scoreless stretch before prevailing late. He wanted the Terps to play through their mistakes, and Maryland responded to a successful TCU penalty kick in the first half by tying the game less than a minute later.
But Leone wanted his team to take advantage of its opportunities, and after several chances to take the lead in the final 55 minutes, a cross from defender Ryan Williams led to forward Michelle Prokof’s score with less than two minutes remaining in extra time to secure the Horned Frogs’ first win of the season.
“I like that it hurt them so bad,” Leone said. “The effort was fantastic. We found out we have a lot of fight in us.”
Maryland had chances, though.
Less than eight minutes into extra time, freshman midfielder Jlon Flippens’ shot, the Terps’ lone attempt in overtime, sailed wide.
Jackson, who finished the day with three of her four shots on goal, watched her shot four minutes before the end of the second half miss high.
During the 82nd minute, forward Jarena Harmon’s missed wide. Plus, TCU goalie Katie Lund saved Maryland’s two shots between the 79th and 80th minutes. In total, eight of Maryland’s 13 shots came in the second half and extra time.
While the Terps failed to capitalize late, they were quick to respond in the first. After Meghan Murphy’s score at the 23rd minute, which came off of one of two Horned Frogs penalty kicks in the opening frame, Jackson’s goal tied the game at one.
“It was a great feeling,” Jackson said of opening the Terps’ 2016 scoring. “[I] wish we got one more.”
Horned Frogs forward Faith Carter appeared to have given TCU a lead with about six minutes remaining in the first, but TCU was offside for the fifth time in the period and as a result entered the intermission with the game tied at one.
Since the Terps, who lost eight starters, including leading scorer Alex Anthony to USC, couldn’t scrimmage Georgetown last weekend due to weather concerns, Leone was eager to see how his team would perform against TCU, which recorded eight wins last season.
“[After not having the scrimmage], it was the unknown,” Leone said. “What we found out today is we have a lot of fight in us. I’m really proud of them for that.”
