Maryland’s women’s soccer team conceded two goals in the second half and suffered its first loss of the season, falling 2-0 to American on Thursday.
After Maryland (1-1-1) held its own in the first half, it faltered defensively and American (1-1-1) took advantage and won its first game of the year.
“Tonight just wasn’t our night,” said Maryland head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer. “But I’m looking forward to seeing how we respond on Sunday.”
In the 59th minute, Brooke Steel finally broke the ice and scored the first goal of the game for American. A deflection landed the ball on Steel’s right foot, making it difficult for goalkeeper Liz Beardsley to find it.
The goal marked a turnaround for American. Steel had a second chance to score in the 60th minute, but his shot hit the crossbar, leaving Maryland behind at one goal.
“I think they took advantage of us on a counterattack and put the ball in the net,” said Ryan Nemzer.
But the one-point lead didn’t last long. American scored another goal in the 63rd minute when Izzy Kadzban received a pass from Lailah Stewart in the slot and buried it with his left foot. The shot landed in the bottom right corner of the net, giving American an extra margin of victory.
Unlike Sunday’s game against Stony Brook, Thursday’s game started slowly. Maryland got a corner in the sixth minute and Beardsley made a routine save in the tenth minute. Aside from a single shot from the American and three offsides for the Terps, there wasn’t much action in the first 20 minutes.
Maryland finally got its first shot on goal in the 28th minute, but Ava Morales’ attempt was stopped by Addison Roemer. Maryland had two more chances in the next few minutes.
Peyton Bernard had a chance in the 30th minute, but the shot went too high. In the 35th minute, Morales had another chance near the goal, but a sliding tackle prevented a shot.
Delaney DeMartino had Maryland’s best chance of the first half in the 42nd minute, firing a shot just wide on the counterattack that gave them the lead.
On the other hand, Beardsley blocked a shot from Avery Klingensmith for the third time in the game in the 43rd minute.
At halftime, the score was 4-4 in shots on goal. Both teams received a corner kick at halftime – otherwise, it was an uneventful first 45 minutes between the Terps and the Eagles. Possession was evenly balanced at 50% for both sides in the first half.
In the 50th minute, Maryland’s Kennedy Bell took a shot on the run, but Roemer parried it with his legs. The Terps shot at goal again in the 51st minute, but Roemer parried this shot with ease.
“So we talked about changing our formation a little bit and I thought it worked really well in the first 30 seconds. We got a one-on-one with the goalie but were unlucky with the ball in the net,” Ryan Nemzer said of the occasion.
After the two American goals, Maryland went into desperation mode. However, aside from some time in the offensive zone and a missed shot by Madison Krakower, the Terps were unable to create any real chances.
Meanwhile, the Eagles were more than happy to keep their distance and spoil Maryland’s undefeated start to the season.
Three things you should know
1. Difficulties in the second half. After an even first half, Maryland quickly saw any hope of victory disappear. After American took the lead through Steel’s goal, the defense stepped up and kept Maryland from scoring.
2. Kadzban’s dominance. After excelling for American in the first half, Kadzban broke through in the second half, scoring the Eagles’ second goal of the night and playing a key role in the win.
3. Maryland remains scoreless. After scoring two goals in each of their first two games, the Terps went scoreless on Thursday. Maryland attempted 10 shots in the game but only put four on goal.
“I think we created enough chances to put the ball in the net,” said Nemzer. “We were unlucky that we didn’t manage to do that.”
