A portly bald man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a black and red beaded necklace repeatedly chanted “Bama” last night in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He was just one person in a record-setting crowd of more than 1,600 on hand at the Alabama Soccer Complex.
But all the cheering was for naught. The Terrapins women’s soccer team upended Alabama, 2-1, sending the festive man home unsatisfied.
Most of the game remained a 1-1 stalemate with both goalkeepers seeing little action. That changed in the game’s final minutes.
Crimson Tide goalkeeper Shelby Church took the penalty kick, which connected with the face of midfielder Olivia Wagner, sending the ball back to Alabama’s (5-1-0) 18-yard line. Forward Hayley Brock one-timed it to midfielder Becky Kaplan, who slid the ball past Church for the win.
“The last minute Hayley and I were up top, I just made a run and she played it right into my path,” said Kaplan, who scored both of the Terps’ (4-1-1) goals. “When I got it I knew I was going to finish it. It was the perfect ball.”
Kaplan leads the Terps with six goals this season, four more than midfielders Ashley Spivey and Wagner.
“Becky has been so fantastic,” coach Jonathan Morgan said. “She’s dangerous. Becky has a level of composure in front of the net that we’re definitely riding right now.”
The Terps took 15 shots, but many of them were sent over the crossbar, a problem Morgan has grown accustomed to this season. And although he was happy about the win, the Terps did not capitalize on many of their scoring opportunities.
The first goal came in the fourth minute of play, when Kaplan sent the ball into the far side of the net. Her score was matched about 20 seconds later when Crimson Tide midfielder Merel Van Dongen headed the ball into the net off a free kick from defender Meghan Duffy.
The next 85 minutes of play were scoreless.
“In the last minute, I was like, ‘We’ve had the pressure on them the whole time, I didn’t want to go into overtime and give them another chance,’” Brock said. “Both our teams were in front of the net so much it was just a matter of time. I knew that whoever scored next would win.”
The victory is a welcome relief for the Terps, who’ve struggled through some growing pains this season. They battled in their first three games, but the past three have been much easier for the Terps.
“This was a really good Alabama team, but we’re learning how to win,” Morgan said. “We have to get our team on the same page learning how to win and right now we’re starting to figure it out.”
Morgan’s team did, however, struggle to fill defensive holes after freshmen Sarah Molina and Erika Nelson were both injured last week. Molina suffered an ankle injury at Ohio State on Aug. 26, allowing Nelson to start in at defender. Nelson suffered a bone bruise late in the Terps’ Aug. 31 game at George Mason, sidelining her during Sunday’s game against Towson. She managed to play 45 minutes last night.
“Erika came in and did awesome today,” Morgan said. “She’s a calming defender and for a freshman, she’s got a pretty decent level of composure. That’s huge.
“The backline is a line you just don’t want to change. You want them in for all 90 minutes of the game to learn each other and become a strong unit.”
Staying healthy will be critical for the Terps when they face Fordham at Ludwig Field on Sunday. Despite having a losing record, the Rams (1-3) could be stiff competition.
“I think we need to keep playing quickly to each other’s feet and working together,” Kaplan said. “We need to pressure for 90 minutes of the game. If we can do that, we’ll keep winning.”
egan@umdbk.com
