Liz Beardsley picked herself up off her knees, holding the ball that broke through the net for the third time in the first half. Beardsley’s teammates surrounded her for a chat as Maryland women’s soccer looked to regroup.
After breaking Maryland’s defensive wall just seconds into the match, Michigan State continuously dominated the offensive third, leaving Maryland’s defenders with their heads down.
The Terps fell to No. 5 Michigan State, 5-0, at Ludwig Field on Thursday. The Spartans prevented Maryland from taking a shot until the 62nd minute, the only Terp shot on goal for the full game.
“It’s a tough result,” coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer said. “One of the top teams in the country. I thought that the first half wasn’t our best showing, but I thought we regrouped at halftime and adjusted some things and thought that we competed.”
Maryland (3-3-3) was unable to put a ball in the net across 10 conference games in 2023. That streak continued Thursday, while Michigan State (6-0-2) berated the Terps with scores.
Michigan State tore down the pitch just over 60 seconds into the match. A shot by Meg Hughes bounced off the post, creating a rebound for Bella Najera to get a shot off and score. The Spartans made a statement just a minute into the conference-opening game.
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Michigan State entered Thursday unbeaten in its seven nonconference games. The visitors explored their offensive dominance early on, playing a much faster game than the Terps.
Fouls proved to be detrimental to Maryland, allowing the Spartans to create four free opportunities in the first 18 minutes. A foul on Hannah Schapiro earned a free kick for the Spartans. A chip into the box was headed at the net.
Emily Mathews, left unguarded in the center, nailed a high shot that bounced off the crossbar in the seventh minute. The ball fell behind Beardsley and into the net for Michigan State’s second score of the game.
The Terps regrouped in the box after the second goal. Peyton Bernard waved her hands around, talking to her team before turning to listen to defender Halle Johnson. Maryland returned to the half line and restarted play down two with most of the half left.
Michigan State utilized its backline, playing high into the middle-third. They earned the only shots and corners of the first half, eight and five respectively.
One of Maryland’s major offensive breakthroughs fell short with a lack of assistance up top and a physical defensive play.
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Kennedy Bell ripped up the right wing, receiving a through ball up the line. She fought one-on-one in an effort to keep the ball in bounds. An ensuing Spartan double team broke down her strategy and brought her to the ground. Michigan State regained control.
“I think it was individual battles,” Nemzer said. “I thought that when we had the ball… we turned it over too easily at moments, and it was something that we spoke about in training.”
Maryland ceded a third goal with five minutes to go in the opening half. A cross off a Spartan corner slid past eight Terp defenders and through the legs of Allie Mairn, who tapped it into the bottom-center of the goal.
The Terps played defense-heavy, starting four defenders on the backline. It was a contrast to Maryland’s three-woman backline in the last match against VCU.
A clean header by Julia Belli off a corner in the 60th minute soared into the top-right corner of the net, deepening Maryland’s deficit to 4-0.
The Terps built some pressure late in the second half. Madison Krakower got the first shot off for the Terps and Delaney DeMartino followed with one more nine minutes later. The quick offensive stint ended and the Spartans regained control of the possession.
Michigan State knocked one more in before the 90 minutes were up.
Maryland will continue its trek into Big Ten play with a home match against Washington on Sept. 19.
“Every opportunity is a way for us to grow. I’m excited to see our response,” Nemzer said. “I thought some people stepped up and I went a little bit deeper in the bench. And that, to me, was a positive.”
