A new era of women’s soccer has begun at Maryland. Under the now-permanent leadership of head coach Michael Marchiano, the Terps dominated Lehigh, 3-0, Thursday at Ludwig Field.
A scare occurred for Maryland women’s soccer’s early in the season opener when starting defender Taryn Raibon went down with an apparent ankle tweak. Without her presence, Lehigh was able to mount brief momentum on attack.
But those efforts were quickly stifled, as Maryland allowed just one soft shot on goal early on — it was
quickly handled by sophomore goalie Faith Luckey.
After a back-and-forth first few minutes, the Terps’ defense quickly took command of the game. Raibon returned to the game and made multiple defensive stops. Lehigh was able to press into its offensive zone in the 14th minute, but was quickly called offsides as the Mountain Hawk attackers seemed flustered by Maryland’s backline.
The Terps regained their control, with a shot by Lisa Mcintyre barely being deflected off target less than a minute later. Maryland had many scoring opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, particularly from the boots of Gemma Davitian, but failed to capitalize each time. But Lehigh’s luck quickly began to run out.
Captain Kelsey Smith received the ball just beyond midfield in the 20th, dribbled through five defenders and snuck a shot past diving Lehigh goalkeeper Maggie Ousouljoglou for the first goal of the game. She finished it off with a signature shoeshine celebration.
Less than two minutes later, captain Ava Morales received the ball in the box off a corner kick and quickly unloaded, curling the ball inside the right post to put the Terps up by two goals.
Maryland continued its dominance, as a Davitian cross to Raibon was barely deflected away and Mcintyre was called offside on a wide open run. Lehigh looked exhausted as Maryland’s offensive barrage did not let up.
With the Terps dominating the shots column, 9-1, in the first half, it was only a matter of time before the game got out of hand for Lehigh.
And with four minutes before the break, Maryland made that happen. Morales unleashed a long-range missile for her second goal of the game.
The Lehigh players looked defeated as they walked out onto the field for the second half, while Maryland was ready to continue its vicious attack. Smith went on a run that sent multiple Mountain Hawks to the ground, nearly leading to a goal. She was then triple-marked by Lehigh before being subbed out of the game later in the half.
The majority of Maryland’s starters were taken out in the second half, pursuant to Marchiano’s gameplan. Morales was switched to a defensive role and played brilliantly, stopping a run by forward Tori Okorodudu late in the match. After Morales was subbed out, Okorodudu got past the Terp backline for a shot on goal, but was easily stopped by Luckey.
Lehigh offered three more shots on goal as the clock began to wind down, but none troubled the redshirt sophomore. The Mountain Hawks were unable to capitalize on big opportunities and were overpowered by the dominating Terps.
Three things to know
1. Terps repeat against Lehigh. Maryland has now defeated Lehigh in a dominant fashion in back-to-back years. New leadership and upperclassmen experience were both highlights of this season’s win over the Mountain Hawks.
2. Morales and Smith take command. The pressure that comes along with captainship clearly didn’t phase either player. With Morales’s pair of flashy goals alongside shifty shotmaking by Smith, the upperclassmen offer direction for Maryland’s attack.
3. The goal is in good hands. Former captain Liz Beardsley’s departure left many fans worried about who could fill her shoes at goalkeeper. Tonight, a pleasant surprise came in the shape of Luckey, who made three saves to secure the shutout.
