Ava Morales charged up the pitch, tapping a through ball to Kelsey Smith just a minute into the Terps’ home opener. Keeping her composure, Smith popped the ball over the sliding goalie’s leg, landing the first score into the bottom right corner of the net.
The early score provided promise for Maryland women’s soccer, but Stony Brook followed paces behind the Terps throughout the match, resulting in a 2-2 stalemate at Ludwig Field on Sunday.
The Terps’ defense failed to avoid a Seawolves (1-0-1) quick response after each goal, thwarting a potential 2-0 start to the season for Maryland (1-0-1).
Morales initiated the transitional flow up the middle third for the Terps, earning two assists over the first two games. The goal was Smith’s first in her collegiate career as a redshirt sophomore.
The early goal didn’t provide a long lead.
Maryland goalie Liz Beardsley stopped Stony Brook’s initial attacking attempts, but a cross to the top corner from Sammy Hannwacker broke through the Terps’ defense. Katie Coyle fell to the ground as Gabrielle Cote stepped around her and finished to the top right of the net.
Cote’s goal once again provided the Seawolves an early strike. She was the first goalscorer in Stony Brook’s season-opening win over Colgate.
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The first nine minutes were at a breakneck pace, as Maryland notched three shots and the Seawolves had one. That created aggressive play — Stony Brook ended the half with seven fouls, while the Terps had three.
Maryland had attack opportunities as a result. One of its best chances was with a free kick in the 34th minute, but the ball missed wide to keep the score even.
The Terps eventually converted shortly after to go up 2-1, as Lisa McIntyre capitalized on a deflected pass. Her left-foot touch bounced over Stony Brook goalie Nicolette Pasquarella and slid into the bottom right of the goal.
But like at the beginning of the match, the Seawolves immediately responded after setting up a free kick from the half line — the Terps lost their one-goal lead as quickly as they gained it only minutes before halftime.
A long ball from Hannah Maracina landed at the feet of Leah Rifas in the middle of the box, who tapped the ball to the low right of the net skimming past a Beardsley dive.
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Beardsley’s performance on Sunday contrasted her outing in Maryland’s season opener against Lehigh when she earned a shutout with seven saves. In that match, Beardsley remained stout after the Terps’ second goal, which didn’t occur against Stony Brook.
Beardsley didn’t start making crucial saves until the second half, which started in the 57th minute as Stony Brook earned another free-kick opportunity early after scoring the equalizer in the first half. The Seawolves’ shot soared right to the center, but Beardsley tipped the ball with her fingertips over the crossbar to secure a needed save.
The senior’s fourth save kept a stretch of excellent Maryland defense going. Both teams had multiple scoring chances down the stretch, replicating the frantic end of the first half, but each defense remained strong to result in the draw.
Maryland will look to remain unbeaten when it faces American at home on Thursday. The Terps had a scoreless draw when they faced the Eagles in their season opener last year.
