Maryland women’s soccer was already on the back foot in the 50th minute, when Iowa began to move its numbers forward during its Big Ten matchup Sunday.
The Hawkeyes began to pass around the Terps’ box looking for a way to break through once more. Finally, midfielder Natalie Winters found defender Samantha Cary making a run right in front of goal, and Cary’s effort rocketed past goalkeeper Erin Seppi into the bottom right corner.
The goal from Cary was the dagger in Iowa’s 4-0 win over Maryland, dooming coach Ray Leone’s squad to two straight losses on the road during Big Ten play.
The Terps looked to rebound from their uninspiring 2-0 loss to Nebraska on Friday, in which they struggled to overcome the high-pressure Cornhuskers team throughout the contest.
Iowa dominated possession early on in Sunday’s matchup, a trend the Terps became all too familiar with on the road trip. Maryland spent most of its match against Nebraska on its heels trying to get possession back.
The Terps held off the surging Iowa offense for the first 20 minutes, but in the 22nd minute, they allowed the opening goal of the match. Forward Olivia Fiegel laid off the ball to midfielder Isabella Blackman outside the box, and Blackman smashed a shot in the top right corner of the goal.
Ten minutes after the opening goal, the Hawkeyes put up a second off a corner kick. Defender Riley Whitaker’s effort curled into the net, with Seppi unable to keep the kick out.
The Terps finally found their first shot in the 42nd minute as Jlon Flippens took a chance from outside the box. The shot was headered off course by an Iowa defender and into the gloves of goalkeeper Claire Graves.
After the first half, the Terps found themselves in their second 2-0 deficit at halftime in a row while being outshot, 7-1.
The second half did not start well for Maryland as the Hawkeyes moved more players forward, culminating in a shot from Cary in front of goal that put the scoreline at 3-0.
The Terps began to settle into the game, controlling more of the ball — but when they mustered any promising chances, they were off target.
Maryland saw its best chance in the 76th, as top goal-scorer Alyssa Poarch took a free kick from just outside the box. The powerful shot smashed against the crossbar and bounced away, leaving Maryland without a goal.
And Iowa found the back of the net again in the 83rd minute, putting the final touches on a dominant win.
