Conceding two goals in 30 seconds is hardly the way to start a soccer game.
For Maryland women’s soccer, the sequence began its fourth loss in five games Thursday night at No. 8 Penn State, falling 4-0 to the Nittany Lions. The Terps now stand at .500 after winning their first three games of the season.
It was the first Big Ten match for both teams — the Nittany Lions (5-2-1) aiming to uphold their status as the conference’s winningest program, while the Terps (4-4) seek to end a five-year streak of losing records in league play this season.
Last year, the Terps fell to Penn State in a 5-0 loss at Ludwig Field. With the added factor of being on the road, the Terps were shut out again.
“We struggled to come to grips with the game in the first half,” Marchiano said. “I’m not sure we were surprised by anything. I think we needed to execute better, and we didn’t.”
With a dominant offensive front, the Nittany Lions put constant pressure on Maryland’s defense throughout the first half, requiring the Terps to call on the energy and confidence coach Michael Marchiano expected of them.
Maryland goalkeeper Faith Luckey faced 19 shots in the first half even with four players holding the back line. Within the opening minute, the Nittany Lions fired a shot that nearly slipped through Luckey’s gloves and was inches away from crossing the goal line.
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A minute later, the Nittany Lions’ forward Amelia White scored, and 30 seconds later, so did forward Audrey Kulpa.
The second half similarly began with a goal from All-American forward Kaitlyn MacBean. Three minutes later, MacBean launched another shot into the back of Maryland’s net.
It wasn’t the first game where Maryland lost confidence after an early goal. In their first loss of the season to Old Dominion on Aug. 24, the Terps were also shut out following a goal in the first 25 minutes.
“It’s not a good feeling when you’re losing or when you lose games,” Marchiano said. “We certainly didn’t exude confidence from the kickoff either, though. So I’m not sure if those goals made us have even more doubt.”
Maryland’s defense has seen struggles with clearing the ball out of the box through eight games. Besides gaps in the back line allowing opponents to score, a weak Terps defense also limits the team’s attacking ability on offense.
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By the end of the match, the Nittany Lions ripped 27 shots toward Luckey, with nine on goal. Maryland mustered just six shots with one on goal.
The Terps struggled to match up against Penn State’s technical ability to capitalize on goal-scoring opportunities, and recorded a plethora of turnovers throughout the game. Maryland is still without key player Peyton Bernard after an injury in the second game of the season.
Maryland put more offensive pressure on Penn State near the end of the match, including an open breakaway opportunity for forward Mckinley Heaven, only to culminate in a wide right shot.
“I certainly appreciated that the girls didn’t give up,” Marchiano said. “There will be some positives to take in the second half, but ultimately, we got to get back to work and try to improve where we can.”
After this match, Maryland will have a week to practice and time to refocus its energy as a collective unit, a task coach Marchiano emphasized will be crucial to compete against high-level teams. The Terps play exclusively a conference slate for the rest of the season, with Indiana next at Ludwig Field.
