Rachelle Beanlands
In a matter of seconds, the Terrapins women’s soccer team went from nearly tying yesterday’s game at Notre Dame to facing a seemingly insurmountable 2-0 halftime deficit.
With less than a minute left in the first half, midfielder Lauren Berman’s shot from 23 yards out sailed over the head of Fighting Irish goalkeeper Kaela Little but bounced off the crossbar and into Little’s hands. The Fighting Irish came right back down the field and doubled their lead with six seconds remaining in the half.
The No. 21 Terps couldn’t overcome the halftime deficit and suffered their largest defeat in five years last night in a 5-0 loss to No. 5 Notre Dame (8-1, 4-0 ACC) in South Bend, Ind.
“That goal was everything,” coach Jonathan Morgan said. “We just lost our discipline for a moment and instead of going into the half one goal down and feeling ‘OK, we are into this,’ we are down two goals, and we are chasing the game.”
Notre Dame sophomore Cari Roccaro, who can play defender, midfielder, or forward, stole the headlines with a hat trick, but it was forward Crystal Thomas’ goal that put the Fighting Irish in the driving seat heading into the second half.
The Terps (6-4-0, 2-2-0 ACC) started out strong, recording the first shot of the game in the 4th minute after a passing sequence around the edge of the Notre Dame penalty box. Defender Megan Gibbons’ shot, however, was straight at Little.
Another 41 minutes would pass before the Terps’ next attempt, Berman’s shot off the crossbar, and in that time Notre Dame had seven shots and scored two goals.
Then Thomas scored the crucial goal, redirecting a low cross past Terps goalkeeper Rachelle Beanlands.
Any comeback hopes were dashed 10 minutes into the second half when Roccaro scored her second goal of the night, dispossessing defender Erika Nelson and the placing her shot between Beanlands’ legs and into the goal.
“You just can’t make that mistake,” Morgan said. “Obviously that’s my responsibility to have them make better decisions back there.”
Nelson was hardly the only defender at fault. Notre Dame’s and Rocarro’s first goal came after defender Shade Pratt passed the ball straight to Notre Dame forward Lauren Bohaboy.
“I really wish I could say Notre Dame was so great,” Morgan said. “We gave them three goals.”
While the defense is an easy target for criticism, the Terps were dominated in all facets of the game. The Fighting Irish outshot the Terps 15-5, including a 9-1 edge in shots on goal.
Forward Hayley Brock, the team leader in goals and points, was shut down, failing to even get off a shot. The Terps have scored just one goal in their past three matches.
Morgan, conscious of Sunday’s tilt at No. 1 Virginia, began to gradually replace his starters after Roccaro’s third goal in the 60th minute put the Fighting Irish up 4-0. Pratt and fellow defender Shannon Collins were the only Terps to play more than 62 minutes. Anna Gilbertson capped the scoring for the Irish with a goal in the 78th minute.
“We have to get ready for Virginia,” Morgan said. “So we have got to put this behind us and prepare for Sunday.”
That’s easier said than done. The last time the Terps lost by five goals or more was Sept. 28, 2008, when North Carolina beat them 5-0. Morgan was a second-year assistant then.
Morgan isn’t concerned about records or dates, though. He just wants a better performance out of his team.
“We have to demand more from them,” Morgan said. “We have to expect more from them. There’s a lot of talented players here and we aren’t getting the most out of them.”
