Last season, coach Brian Pensky was initiated into women’s soccer against the Towson Tigers in a game that ended in a scoreless tie.
Pensky, disappointed not to have won in his personal opener, now has a chance to exact some revenge as his No. 25-ranked Terrapins host the Tigers at Ludwig Field in the first home game of the season.
“Towson was a tough game last year, no question,” Pensky said. “I took that pretty tough personally, but at the same time you have to look at the history of these programs. Towson always plays Maryland tough.”
When you look at the recent history, the two teams couldn’t be much more even when squaring off against each other. In 2004, the teams also needed overtime to settle things as the Terps squeaked out a 1-0 victory in the 100th minute.
Despite the aggression these teams have felt toward each other having played five of the last six years, the Terps will have to put all previous games aside and focus on the game tonight.
“There’s a bunch of old news that’s happened between the teams, but I’m just ready to play,” said freshman Emily Maynard, who is new to the rivalry and will be playing in front of a home crowd for her first time as a Terp.
Though frustrated with the inability to get the ball in the net, the Terps should expect a similar type of game to last year’s tie. Goalkeeper Nikki Resnick and the defense are the Terps’ strengths, and they will be competing with a Towson team that has yet to give up a goal in two games this season.
Tigers net-minder Brandi Daniels stands tall at 6 feet, and she recorded 13 saves while shutting out the Terps last season.
“[Towson] plays a 4-3-3, which easily adjusts to a 4-5-1,” Pensky said. “They sit back and sit behind the ball, wait for their opponents to get bored and just try to make it hard for their opponents to play. We’re going to attack on the wings as much as we can, and try to stretch them out.”
On the other side of the ball, Resnick has shut out the Tigers for a combined 210 minutes in the teams’ last two meetings.
“I want to beat whoever we play, but since they’re an in-state rival this game means a lot,” Resnick said.
Because they are on the borderline of the top 25 rankings, a tie will not be good enough if the Terps want to hold their position. Games such as this are the ones the Terps need to show they can make a statement and win if they are a serious contender on a national level.
“We have an edge going into this game, maybe in a way we didn’t a year ago,” Pensky said. “Talking about this whole weekend and this whole season, there’s nothing about this weekend that matters except for [Friday night’s] game against Towson.”
Terps vs. Towson
Where: Ludwig Field
When: Tonight, 5 p.m.
Radio: wmucsports.com
Contact reporter Mark Selig at mseligdbk@gmail.com.
