Ginny Lackey weaved through defenders and found herself unguarded. The James Madison forward received a perfect ball in the 23rd minute that she placed into the back of the net, eventually proving to be the game-winning goal against Maryland women’s soccer.
Maryland (4-3) fell to the Dukes (4-1-2), 1-0, at Sentara Park in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in a game that proved worrisome for a Terps offense that produced just two shots and one on-goal.
Thursday’s match marked the first of what coach Michael Marchiano described as a “13-game stretch where [they’re] playing against high-level opposition,” after the team’s loss to Florida. It was Maryland’s final match before conference play.
Coming off a tie with Penn State, the Dukes looked to maintain forward momentum against the Terps. Based on how JMU played on Thursday, Maryland needs to prepare itself for next week’s face-off against Penn State and anticipate the same caliber of play.
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“We need to improve in every aspect,” Marchiano said. “If we’re going to be competitive at a higher level, we’re gonna need performances where everybody who comes onto the field is going to have to be nearing their highest capacity, and it’s going to have to be a really connected performance as well, outside of the individual contribution.”
Throughout the match, forward Kelsey Smith continued to showcase the athleticism and speed that have become her signature this season, putting up the sole shot on-goal for the Terps in the first half.
Like Smith, the Terps can similarly count on goalkeeper Faith Luckey. The redshirt sophomore has broken into her first season of play with clear plans to stay in the net. She faced 13 shots and made five saves on Thursday.
Even so, Lackey slipped past Maryland’s defense, taking advantage of a gap in a typically airtight squadron. It was a smart pass from Lackey’s teammates, who placed the ball in front of the net and allowed her to score.
Even though the Dukes controlled the ball and put up four shots on goal, Maryland’s defense woke back up — stopping attackers from getting too close and clearing the ball from the box.
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JMU badly wanted a second goal to ensure its win. Maryland refused.
The Terps significantly increased their possession time in the second half, keeping play near the midline of the pitch. Still, the team just couldn’t get into scoring position and maintained only one shot on goal.
Maryland came into the second half with a strategic rhythm in its ball rotation, searching for a chance to notch an away win. The Terps’ positioning provided reliable passing opportunities, forcing a slower pace from the Dukes.
“The energy tonight was okay,” Marchiano said. “Some of the technical and tactical parts of the performance were not good enough.”
In the end, it was a disappointing result for the Terps. They were outshot 15-to-2 after Florida paced them 21-to-8 on Sunday, exposing a clear deficiency in Maryland’s offense. With Big Ten play up next, Marchiano will search for some answers starting against Penn State Sept. 11.
“The girls played with energy, and they worked hard,” Marchiano said. “But we need higher levels of energy, and we need to work even harder if we want to have a chance to be competitive.”
