For the second time this season, the Terps’ matchup ends in a draw.
In a game where it was shorthanded and playing a feisty Penn offense, Maryland women’s soccer still remained deadlocked entering overtime.
In the 97th minute, midfielder Loren Sefcik lofted a perfect pass over midfield to an in-stride Locksley. The ball bounced twice before it reached Locksley, who beat forward Ginger Fontenot to the ball. The forward gained possession, sprinting between Quaker defenders and into the box. Locksley rocketed one from just outside the 6-yard box after a great play, but the ball dinged off the post and the game remained tied.
Locksley’s chance was Maryland’s closest, not only in overtime, but perhaps all game long. However, neither team was able to put in the goal it needed as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
“You got to give Penn a lot of credit,” Maryland head coach Ray Leone said. “They were really bringing the house, and we responded to it.”
A perfect September night at Ludwig Field, seven Terps had the honor to unveil the new “graduate” patches on their uniforms, becoming the first players in Maryland and Big Ten history to do so.
Leone was starting three players for the first time this season, while seemingly still missing his two leading goal scorers in forwards Alyssa Poarch and Emily McNesby.
The Quakers started with possession and jumped out strong, earning the first corner kick of the game just over one minute in. Maryland goalkeeper Liz Brucia stepped out to clear the ball, but Penn would continue to play strong.
In the third minute, forward Janae Stewart received the ball just a few yards outside the 18-yard box. Being manned by defender Adalee Broadbent, Stewart made a nice play to take one touch and accelerate to about five yards out from directly in front of the penalty arc. Stewart blasted one, forcing Brucia to dive to her right, but the ball took a bounce over her and off the middle of the left post. Left alone at the six-yard box, forward Abbey Duncan settled and booted the ball with her left foot to the back of a wide-open net.
Penn continued its strong start, earning the first four shots of the game and another corner kick, and it was not until the 10th minute when Maryland registered its first shot. Forward Anna Carazza took a shot off midfielder/defender Madison Oracion’s corner kick from the top of the box, but it never had a chance, skying high and to the right of the net.
Five minutes later, the Terps almost got lucky as Penn goalkeeper Laurence Gladu came way off the goal line to try and take the ball from forward Kori Locksley. Gladu missed, and the ball came out to Oracion, whose shot trickled just left of the goal post.
While Oracion could not score on the play, it gave the Terps a boost they needed just one minute later.
From just yards from midfield, in line with the center circle, freshman midfielder Mori Sokoloff lined up for the free kick in her first-ever start. Sokoloff shot an absolute bomb that was well on target from the deep distance. Gladu inched off the goal line to the six-yard box, seeming to misjudge Sokoloff’s shot distance. Gladu flung her right hand back in the last attempt to make the save, but the ball bounced off her fist and into the net to tie the game at one apiece.
“She did really well,” Leone said on Sokoloff. “She’s still learning, she’s young, but we know she’s gonna give everything she has.”
Stewart earned the game’s first discipline in the 25th minute, picking up a yellow card after taking down Broadbent. Broadbent limped off the field, as the card was the Quakers’ sixth yellow card in only five games, an Ivy League-leading mark.
Since Sokoloff’s goal, the Terps were earning the better of the play in the first half, keeping the ball deep in the attacking third. Forward Toni Domingos had a dangerous cross that pinged around in the 28th minute, while the team picked up another corner kick, albeit an empty one, in the 32nd minute.
The two squads traded shots around the 40-minute mark, but not too much else happened to close out the half.
After 45 minutes, the score remained even at one. The Quakers doubled up Maryland — outshooting it, 8-4 — but were unable to put in a second goal to go-ahead for the second time.
As Maryland began the first half with possession, junior goalkeeper Madeline Smith subbed in for Brucia, making her first-ever Maryland appearance.
“We do practice with her, so we were pretty confident in her ability, so it wasn’t much of [a] change,” defender Malikae Dayes said. “…She communicated a lot, so it made us very confident in herself, it was not much of a difference.”
Gladu had to stay loose for Penn in the first few minutes, as a blast from forward Mikayla Dayes and a near own-goal from inside the 6-yard box forced her to make a couple of saves.
Smith was tested ten minutes into the half, as midfielder Lauren Teuschl fired one from outside the 18-yard box. Smith made a smooth running stop, knocking down the ball and securing her first save as a Terp.
Two minutes later, Duncan rifled a shot as she was falling to the ground inside the box. Smith dove to her right, making the grab for her second save of the day.
Penn, controlling the second half, had a brilliant chance in the 60th minute. Midfielder/forward Sizzy Lawton shot one towards the bottom of the net, forcing Smith to make another diving save, but this time Duncan had a rebound from just over six yards out. Her shot was blocked, leading to a corner kick that Penn could not cash in on.
With just over 20 minutes to play, the Quakers were dominating the second half. They had earned their fourth corner of the half, to Maryland’s zero, while outshooting the Terps in the frame, 6-2.
Mikayla Dayes, who has attracted so much attention on offense, seemed to be neutralized a bit in tonight’s match. It appeared that may change in the 81st minute, as she was speeding with possession from midfield, but she ran into a wall of Penn defenders as her shot was blocked.
With time ticking in regulation, either team would need something fast to avoid extra time. Mikayla Dayes had a header in the 88th minute that went over the net, and that would be the last chance for either team before overtime.
As the Terps entered their second straight overtime game, Penn began the first session with possession.
Locksley’s shot in the 97th minute was the best chance for either team in the first session. The Terps did not allow a shot in the 10 minutes, but the game was headed to an inevitable second overtime period.
Fatigue was starting to settle in for both teams, as neither side appeared to have the burst it did earlier in the game as the clock showed only four minutes to play.
“We were all pretty tired out there,” Malikae Dayes said. “But it’s just a mentality thing. You just got to keep going and pushing, you know, don’t stop.”
Maryland earned a corner kick, its third of the game, with just under three minutes to play. Sokoloff placed the ball on net, as Gladu came out in punched it away, but there was ultimately a foul on Locksley anyways.
Penn responded quickly, almost winning the game after earning a deep throw in in the 109th minute. Stewart rifled the ball, which was deflected just off the crossbar and out of play. The officials missed the deflection, as Penn was not awarded a corner and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Three things to know
1. It was a first half of ups and downs for both teams. Penn was probably not happy with how it allowed its one-goal lead to dissipate. Gladu came too far out of the net on Sokoloff’s goal, as by the time she moved back to try and track the ball, it was going to be over her head. Maryland could say the same about the goal it gave up, as it took an unfortunate bounce off the post to a wide-open Duncan. Even though the Quakers had twice as many first-half shots as the Terps, Maryland controlled 55% of possession in the frame.
2. The Terps changed it up in net for the first time this season. Liz Brucia has been sensational for the Terps this season, playing every single minute and posting three clean sheets. One has to imagine that the move was not made based on performance, but rather to get a closer look at the backup goalies as nonconference play wraps up. Madeline Smith most recently played at Omaha in 2020, making six starts and posting a 2-2-2 record with three shutouts. Smith was a capable goalie at the Summit League level, so only positive feedback could be earned from giving her a shot.
“She’s finally been cleared,” Leone said on Smith. “We’re running out of time before we play the Big Ten, so we want to make sure that the one and two, really one and 1A get a chance to play.”
3. Maryland’s defense was missing Adalee Broadbent for the majority of the night. After Stewart’s hard slide attempt on Broadbent in the 25th minute — for which she was given a yellow card — the Terps’ star defender got up gingerly and walked off the field with a trainer. A scary sight for Maryland, it appeared that Broadbent was grimacing as she walked off. Broadbent has been a rock for the Terps’ defense, playing every single minute in a season where Maryland allowed less than one goal per game. She did not check in for the rest of the match, and hopefully, for Maryland, it is only an injury scare.
“I think we did what we needed to do,” defender Olivia Hicks said. “I mean we’ve all basically kept it the same, we’ve been practicing different people and I think everybody stepped up in their position and did their job when [Adalee] went down.”