After being eliminated from ACC tournament contention, the Terrapin women’s soccer team had little to play for but pride last night against No. 11 Virginia.
The Terps did not let that stop them from playing one of their most complete games of the season, as they picked up an upset victory over Virginia.
In the 18th minute, the Terps scored for the first time in seven games, as freshman Emily Maynard helped make it a senior night to be remembered.
Maynard fed senior Sarah Sample just outside the box, then broke for the net, as Sample returned a beautiful pass to Maynard, who juked a defender, sized up her shot and kicked the ball past sliding goalkeeper Christina de Vries, ending the Terps’ 626-minute scoreless drought.
“It was awesome,” goalkeeper Nikki Resnick said. “Just seeing that first goal in, the feelings are unexplainable. Just a rush.”
“That was definitely for the seniors,” said Maynard, who ran to midfield and gave Resnick a hug to celebrate the goal. “[Nikki has] bailed us out every game of the season so far, and I felt like I owed it to her.
The Terps got to compete with a one-player advantage for the final 79 minutes as Virginia defender Alli Fries pulled Kelly Rozumalski down from behind on an open breakaway and was shown a red card in the 11th minute. The advantage led to more open looks for the Terps, and within eight minutes, the team’s first goal.
“The same way a goal changes a game, a red card changes the game,” coach Brian Pensky said. “It was the right call. The rule states that if it’s the last man, and she’s pulled down, it’s a red card.
“That eased the pressure on our three backs and allowed some of our wide midfielders to play a little bit higher. It changed the game entirely.”
The Cavs had some chances to get an equalizer, their best opportunity coming when Nikki Lieb headed a corner kick over Resnick and off the crossbar. Virginia dominated possession in the second half but did not have the firepower to come back with a player down.
In the 67th minute, Lauren Gamble decided a one-goal lead would not be enough, as she received a cross from Maynard and immediately shot the ball into the right side of the net, giving the Terps a two-goal lead.
The Terps were able to hold onto the lead and pick up their first win since Sept. 17.
“It’s just justice,” Pensky said. “They deserve it. This team has been competing hard all along, and we’ve been saying all along that we feel good about how this team’s playing – we just can’t score goals. And I just said to Nikki and the group there, ‘another day, another shutout.'”
Resnick was tested throughout the game, but refused to yield a goal in her last appearance at Ludwig Field. She picked up her ninth shutout of the season.
Unfortunately for the Terps (5-9-4), the win was too little too late, as they could only muster a 0-0 tie against Virginia Tech on Friday, making it mathematically impossible to earn the final seed in the conference tournament.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Maynard said. “It’s awesome that we won, but it sucks that it’s coming a little late, and it doesn’t matter. But everyone’s playing for the love of the game and for pride, so we’re still going.”
Contact reporter Mark Selig at mseligdbk@gmail.com.
