Prior to the Maryland women’s soccer team’s Senior Night kickoff against Michigan State, six seniors trotted onto the field with their families, honored for their service to the program.
About 110 minutes later, they exited having made their final game at Ludwig Field last two full overtime periods longer than anticipated.
Neither team found a breakthrough, and the Terps settled for a 0-0 draw.
Coach Ray Leone said any time the Terps can keep a clean sheet against a Big Ten opponent, it’s a success. However, their recent struggles with scoring continued.
“In your last game at Ludwig it’s just important to come out and give it your all,” senior midfielder Hope Gouterman said. “We did a good job. We had a lot of opportunities…sometimes you just can’t put it in the back of the net.”
Maryland goalkeeper Rachel Egyed thwarted an early Michigan State (6-10-1, 1-7-1 Big Ten) breakaway five minutes into the match. Just more than a minute later, Terps midfielder Hope Lewandoski fired a volley just wide of the post.
Willed on by a raucous home crowd at Ludwig Field, which chanted throughout the contest, the Terps (7-7-3, 1-7-2 Big Ten) came close to scoring a first-half goal on multiple occasions. They attempted six shots in the opening 45 minutes.
Midfielder Jlon Flippens said the crowd’s chants provided a boost to the Terps, who were already playing with plenty of emotion for their seniors.
“When you hear the ‘ahs,’ the ‘oohs’ and the ‘Let’s go Maryland,’it definitely makes the game more fun,” Flippens said. “You’re playing more than just for yourself at that point.”
Forward Gi Krstec was especially lively. She was the only player to take two shots in the frame and played a defense-splitting through ball to midfielder Anissa Mose, whose breakaway effort was blocked.
Maryland had attempted six total shots in their previous two games combined.
The Terps then took control of the game’s tempo, as the Spartans didn’t attempt a shot in the first 33 minutes of the second half after rattling off five in the opening period. Despite the dominance in possession, Maryland struggled to finish.
Leone said the Terps are “squeezing the bat too tight” on offense, all falling victim to the same inconsistencies in front of the goal.
“We hit a lot at the keeper and the services weren’t the greatest,” Leone said. “But the commitment was there so we’ve just got to keep working at it. It’s all we’ve been doing every single day for the past two weeks, so we’ll keep doing more of it.”
Krstec fired a shot off the bar in the 82nd minute before Lewandoski was stopped by Michigan State goalkeeper Reilley Ott three minutes later. The Terps’ scoreless skid extended to five matches.
Leone’s squad finished with 14 shots and six corners, consistently putting pressure on the Spartans’ defense until the final whistle. Though they failed to score, the coach felt the chances were in their favor.
“It’s just the way it goes, but at least we were going for it,” Leone said. “It wasn’t like we were hanging on for dear life for a draw, it was that we were going for the win.”
