Maryland women’s soccer sophomore Ellie Egeland’s 35th-minute goal against Navy Thursday night wasn’t one that was fully planned. But when looking to rebound from a tough loss, capitalizing on any mistake can pay huge dividends.
A blown backpass by the Midshipmen in front of their own goal led to the midfielder’s second goal in three games. The score set the tone early and helped lift the Terps to a 2-1 win over Navy at Ludwig Field.
“It’s really positive to get the results at home,” head coach Michael
Marchiano told Big Ten Plus. “I want more out of some of the performances that we’ve had at home, and that’s where our focus needs to be. But there’s no better feeling.”
Maryland and Navy (4-2-0) traded attacks to start the night. Attempts to advance the ball down the pitch were strong but never materialized. Defense was a key factor for the majority of the first half until Navy made a mistake with 10 minutes left before the break.
Navy was looking to clear the ball out of their territory when Jordan Townsend ushered a pass directly to the feet of Egeland. With her team’s best scoring opportunity of the night now at her feet, Egeland nabbed the errant pass, took a touch to her left and sent a shot into the right corner of the net to give the Terps an early lead.
“Ellie has the ability to shoot from anywhere on the field and she often does. I’m happy to see her continuing to take chances and take risks,” Marchiano said. “I thought it was a good strike and she strikes the ball well and could be a threat doing that.”
As the second half began, the Terps were looking to add on to their lead. Navy made another mistake again in front of their own goal with a misplay on a strong shot from sophomore Emily Lenhard. The ball ricocheted off of Navy’s Natasha Stramrood, which opened another opportunity for the Terps.
Forward Gemma Davitian played it off a bounce and powered it into the back of the net for Maryland’s second and final goal on Thursday.
After Navy drew and converted a penalty kick to tighten the Terps’ lead to one, Maryland handled the late pressure to advance to 4-1 and remain undefeated at home this season, where all four of its wins have come.
“We didn’t break, and that’s probably not a very oriented evaluation [of the end of the game], but that’s the truth. Those experiences are going to hopefully add up,” Marchiano said. “We’ve been here before, and some of the leadership on the field will have greater composure in those moments. But I didn’t love the way that we ended the game.”
Next up for Maryland is a home game at Ludwig Field against Florida. The two teams last played in August of 2023 where the Terps fell to Florida, 1-0. Maryland will hope to utilize their early-season momentum to beat Florida for the first time: the Terps’ all-time record against the Gators is 0-2-1.
Three things to know
1. Righting the ship at home. Maryland is undefeated at home in its first four games. It’s the team’s best start at Ludwig Field since 2017.
2. Taking advantage of mistakes. The Terps’ two goals on the night came off Navy mistakes. Maryland’s ability to capitalize on what its opponent was willing to give it proved crucial in the defense- heavy match.
3. A test is looming. Maryland’s next game will provide an early season assessment. Florida will come to College Park Sunday as the only SEC opponent on the Terps’ schedule. Continuing its run through the weekend could be crucial for Maryland, with conference play starting against Penn State two games after.
