Maryland women’s soccer forward Chelsea Jackson watched her team struggle in the first half against Navy on Sunday.
Last season’s leading scorer was subbed off in the 25th minute, and she looked on from the sideline as Maryland entered the break without a goal.
However, a talk from coach Ray Leone energized the team. Jackson scored 16 minutes into the second half to spur an offensive onslaught, and the Terps rolled to a 3-0 victory over the Midshipmen. They improved to 2-0-0 on the season.
“We came out and responded,” Jackson said. “Meeting with Ray at halftime really helped us get those goals in the second half.”
After freshmen Hope Lewandoski and Mikayla Dayes stood out in the Terps’ victory over Drexel on Friday, Leone continued to experiment with newcomers on Sunday.
The second-year coach started six rookies against Navy (0-2-0), doubling the total he started on Friday. However, much like in the opener, the Terps could not find a breakthrough in the first half.
Dayes created the best chance of the opening 45 minutes, collecting the ball with her back to goal, spinning around a defender and firing from about 20 yards out. Navy goalkeeper Sydney Fortson had her left side covered, though, and caught Dayes’ effort.
“We weren’t playing well and they were still fighting,” Leone said. “I’ve got to give our team credit for that. … We at least hung on, and in the second half we came out a totally different team.”
Neither side established a significant threat in the opening minutes of the second half. Jackson received a chance with a pullback in front of goal, but her off-balance shot rolled slowly into Fortson’s hands.
However, Jackson continued to threaten from the left flank, and her consistent runs toward goal proved vital for the Terps.
With the ball reversed to the right side in the 61st minute, Jackson darted into the center of the box. Dayes fired a low pass across the face of goal. Jackson converted a simple tap-in.
Moments later, after a foul on the edge of the 18-yard box, defender Jlon Flippens stepped up to take a free kick. With Fortson expecting a lofted ball toward a crowd of teammates, Flippens slipped the ball low into the bottom-left corner of the net.
From there, the Terps held strong defensively as the Midshipmen resorted to long balls to create space. One throw-in produced a loose ball pounced on by Navy’s Baseley McClaskey. The defender turned and fired a shot, but Egyed dove to her right and kept it out, preserving the shutout.
“I knew that she was going to get a shot off,” Egyed said. “There was a clear path to me. But I knew that she was close and it was going to come hard. Whatever I can do to keep it out of the net, it’s what I’ll do.”
The final bit of insurance came when midfielder Kate Waters swung in a low cross that forward Jarena Harmon poked into the net.
The Terps have now bested last season’s home win total and are one away from equaling last year’s overall tally. Both victories have come by way of second-half goals.
“We were fighting the entire game,” Egyed said. “But coming out in the second half, it just showed that we wanted it more.”
