Kam Fisher played Alyssa Poarch down Maryland women’s soccer’s right flank with less than five minutes to go.
The graduate forward took the space ahead of her before she found Alina Stahl making a sneaking run in between Indiana’s central defenders. Stahl took a touch to get the ball out her feet before placing a composed finish beyond Jamie Gerstenberg’s near post to give the Terps a late lead against the Hoosiers.
Maryland’s postseason hopes were already terminated, but the Terps found a way to give its matchup vs. Indiana significance as they broke a seven-game losing streak to claim their second conference victory of the season, 1-0. The victory was Maryland’s first win against Indiana since 1994.
The Terps were plagued with offensive struggles for the majority of conference play, and the beginning of Thursday’s matchup was no different.
[Trio of Maryland graduate students played in final women’s soccer home game]
Both teams could be satisfied with defensive efforts in the opening half, shutting the other out. The Hoosiers had the better of the chances and recorded five shots, placing four on target, and won a total of five corners in the opening half. However, Indiana was unable to capitalize off the opportunities, lacking a killer instinct in front of goal.
Maryland got its offense going later in the half and finished it with four shots, two of which forced Hoosiers goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg into action. The Terps’ best effort at goal came off a Catherine DeRosa free kick.
Amanda Schafer found acres of space on the right flank from a Juliana Lynch pass. The defender picked her head up and drove a ball directly to the feet of Poarch in stride.
The graduate forward took a perfect combo of touches to delete the trailing Hoosier defender before being brought down at the edge of the penalty box. Despite the threatening position the Terps found themselves in, the free kick didn’t make its way past the Hoosier wall.
[Minnesota hands Maryland women’s soccer its seventh-straight loss, 2-1]
Maryland goalkeeper Madeline Smith kept the game scoreless with a total of six saves throughout the match. The Nebraska native was called into action early, making three of her four first-half saves in the opening 10 minutes of the game.
Gerstenberg made a total of five saves, with three coming in the second period. The sophomore goalkeeper recorded the third-most shutouts in the entire NCAA as a freshman last season.
The Terps failed to record a single effort in the final 45 minutes of the game, finishing the game with only two shots in Sunday’s matchup against Minnesota.
Maryland was able to recover from last weekend’s second-half performance, outshooting the Hoosiers in the final 45 minutes 9-3.
With four minutes to go, the Terps were finally able to convert. Maryland claimed a breakthrough it earned through Alina Stahl’s finish, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the Terps’ penultimate game of the season.
