Midway through the first half of Maryland women’s soccer’s 2-1 overtime loss to Rutgers on Sunday, both teams were searching for an opportunity to break the scoreless draw.

When the Scarlet Knights sent a looping cross into the box in the 29th minute, the Terps defenders outnumbered forward Nneka Moneme three to one. As the six-foot Moneme battled for position, she jumped high above the three defenders marking her and headed the ball toward the goal, but it flew wide right.

Throughout most of Sunday afternoon, Maryland’s defenders — none of whom are taller than 5-foot-8 — held Moneme and Rutgers’ other physical forwards in check. Despite giving up 13 shots, the Terps kept the Scarlet Knights off the board for the first 78 minutes, allowing them to stay in the game.

“[The backline] played really well,” coach Ray Leone said. “We’ve got a freshman at center back leading the way with Addy [Broadbent], and a senior right next to her. And they made it difficult. I give them a lot of credit.”

[Read more: Rutgers scores a minute into overtime to beat Maryland women’s soccer, 2-1]

Broadbent has started 10 of the 11 Maryland games this year, and her solid technique alongside experienced defender Niven Hegeman held Rutgers off the scoreline until late. Kady Badham lined up out wide, giving the Terps another speedy defender to slow down the Scarlet Knights’ wide play.

Rutgers’ attack featured a balance of size and speed. Moneme’s height is complemented by the speed of forwards Amirah Ali and Ashley Atubi. Ali’s seven goals are tied for the Big Ten lead.

When the Terps tried to clog up the middle of the box to contest crosses to Moneme, it opened up space for the other forwards to attack.

“[Rutgers is] definitely strong on the ball, and they’re also very tall, so we had to make sure we kept our feet,” midfielder Anissa Mose said. “We weren’t diving and letting them beat us one way so easily, so I think we did a pretty good job.”

[Read more: ‘We’ve never had a start like this’: Maryland women’s soccer begins Big Ten play strong]

While Maryland’s backline held Rutgers at bay for most of regulation, the Scarlet Knights broke through in the 79th minute, and again within the first minute of overtime. Balls that the Terps had been able to run down and clear early on turned into corners for Rutgers in the late stages.

Despite being outshot 8-1 in the first period, Maryland didn’t concede a corner kick. By limiting set pieces early on, the Terps neutralized some of the impact of Moneme’s height, as she couldn’t head balls out of the reach of the smaller backline.

However, the Scarlet Knights earned four corners in the second half. And on Rutgers’ first shot of overtime, Ali slotted home the game-ending goal.

While the loss drops the Terps to 1-2 in the Big Ten, their defensive effort was promising. Rutgers, which ranks fourth in the conference with two goals per game, was held scoreless by Maryland for nearly 79 minutes in the defeat.

Going forward, the Terps will need more sustained possession to supply an outlet for their backline.

“I think our defense has made tremendous strides this season,” Egyed said. “We came into the preseason as a group of defenders learning to play together, and have become a strong unit playing as one.”