With one already under her belt — in just the seventh minute — Kennedy Bell wasn’t finished in the attacking third.
She sprinted up the pitch after receiving a pass from Peyton Benard. Bell made a touch around the defender and nailed a shot to the top right of the net. Bell scored a brace.
“Especially going into Big Ten, I think it’s an awesome boost that we all needed,” Bell said. “I haven’t played forward in years, so it proves to myself you can get back to where you were.”
An eruptive first half propelled Maryland to a 4-0 victory over VCU. Bell’s efforts led to the Terps’ first win since Aug. 29, just in time for their conference opener against Michigan State on Thursday. Sunday marked the most goals Maryland has scored in a game under coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer.
The last time a Maryland player scored a brace was Lisa McIntyre on Aug. 27, 2023, against James Madison. Bell completed the feat again on Sunday by scoring her second two minutes after her first, which developed in the fourth minute.
Taryn Raibon received a through ball exploding up the left wing. Holding possession, Raibon cut off defenders working her way into the box. Her cross met Bell in the center. Bell took a touch on her left foot, and her next contact reamed the ball into the back of the net.
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“The last couple days, we’ve spent a lot of time in the final third, spent a lot of time in being efficient and having a better shot selection,” Nemzer said. “I thought we did that today.”
Maryland’s aggressive efforts spread across the field. The Terps defense matched the energy of the explosive offense. Liz Beardsley blocked a round of VCU shots, notching four saves in the first half.
Beardsley watched as Rams forward Natalia Santangelo aimed a shot to the top right of the net. She dove, punching the ball away and keeping the Maryland net safe for the half.
The Terps’ offensive momentum lasted the full 45 minutes, peaking again in the middle of the half. The Terps maintained possession for the majority of the match using their time in the Rams’ defensive third to their full advantage.
Ellie Egeland met the ball and gained control just before it could slip out. Using the acceleration, Egeland crossed the ball to Bernard. With one touch, the ball missed the diving goalkeeper and flew into the bottom left of the net — marking the sophomore’s first career goal.
“What I love about it is there were multiple scores today. It wasn’t just one, and that’s what we’ve been talking about. It can’t just be one person stepping up,” Nemzer said.
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Both teams came out physical at the start of the second. The teams racked up fouls as the high-energy matchup led to aggressive footwork. Raibon and VCU’s Carleigh Frilles earned yellow cards for unsportsmanlike behavior.
Maryland’s 11 worked as a cohesive unit on Sunday, transitioning seamlessly from defense to offense. Bell moved up from the backline and intercepted a VCU pass before firing the ball to the middle in the 71st minute.
Delaney DeMartino made her route into the box, slamming a one-touch shot to score.
This was the forward’s second score of the season. Bell had her foot in three of the four goals scored on Sunday.
Beardsley earned her second shutout of the season and tallied seven saves. The offense remained as accurate and in tune as Beardsley. The Terps’ offensive success came despite getting outshot, 10-5.Maryland will remain in College Park to play Michigan State in the conference opener on Thursday and has already matched its win total from a season ago.
“Especially going into Big Ten play, that’s a big confidence booster,” Katie Coyle said.
