Coming out for the second half Sunday, Maryland women’s soccer emerged with confidence, holding a lead for the first time since its match against Illinois. A new face appeared in goal, with head coach Michael Marchiano subbing out Faith Luckey for deputy Maya Cheeseboro.
The move backfired for Maryland. A giveaway from Morales prompted a dangerous run from the Buckeyes in the 48th minute. After a blocked cross from Tahirah Turnage-Morales, the ball fell to the feet of Elle Britt. Britt sent a close
range shot off her right foot top bins, clearing a leaping Cheeseboro to tie up the contest. Cheeseboro appeared demoralized, letting in the first goal of her collegiate career. But the worst was yet to come.
Britt’s score opened the floodgates for No. 25 Ohio State, as Maryland fell to the Buckeyes, 3-1.
Ohio State quickly took control after the kickoff, plunging into Terp territory as a hopeful early strike from Nette-Nina Hiltunen missed high and right in the third minute. A pair of corners from Hiltunen just minutes later also failed to find their marks.
Maryland’s first opportunity came in the 7th minute, when Kelsey Smith placed the ball into the box and found the feet of Ava Morales. However, Morales’ touch went awry, and the Buckeyes regained control.
A battle in the midfield waged for the next 15 minutes of play, as fruitless pushes down the sideline and broken-up passes plagued both sides. All goalkeeper Faith Luckey had to contend with were retreating passes and long-ball cutoffs.
The Terps opened up the scoring in the 30th minute, as Lisa McIntyre drove deep into Ohio State’s half. As multiple defenders closed in, McIntyre slid the ball to Smith, who was in space down the left wing. Smith cut to her right, planted her left foot and launched a rocket towards the top corner from just inside the penalty box.
Star goalkeeper Molly Pritchard’s red card in Ohio State’s previous game forced the Buckeyes to turn to the less experienced Peighton Northrop against Maryland. But nobody Ohio State could’ve put in net would have had a chance of saving Smith’s shot, which curled past the right post to give the Terps an early lead.
Another run from Smith in the 36th minute yielded a free kick after Ava Bramblett yanked her down. Morales opted to play it short to Smith, whose shot attempt was poked away by defender Mirann Gacioch.
A shot from Ava Greco was barely trapped by Luckey in the 44th minute, securing Maryland’s one-goal lead entering the break.
The Terps were outshot 10-1 at the half, but expert goalkeeping from Luckey and elite backline presence was all they needed to maintain their first lead in five matches. But after the unexpected switch in goal, Britt’s close-range netter was just what Ohio State needed to turn the tides, maintaining possession in Maryland’s half for nearly five minutes.
Three consecutive right-side corners minutes later were nullified by Maryland’s backline, as the momentum was entirely shifted. Ohio State continued its pressure into the 70th minute, piling shot after shot on the Terps.
A huge scare came for Maryland in the 74th minute, as Jadin Bonham tapped a close shot off a redirected save. She sent the ball into the left post, which then bounced across the goal line into the right post and was sent away by Turnage-Morales, leaving the Ohio State bench stunned.
In the 80th minute, Maryland regained momentum, but Gemma Davitian sent the Terps’ second shot of the match — their first in 50 minutes — well over the crossbar.
The Buckeyes surged back with a vengeance. Mirann Gacioch sent a hard left-footed shot at Cheeseboro, whose save bounced right to Amanda Schlueter. Schlueter toed the ball into a wide open net to give the Buckeyes their first lead in the 82nd minute after a VAR review.
Just seconds later, Schlueter was back, driving hard into Maryland’s 18-yard box. She slotted a right-footed shot into the right side of the goal to complete her brace and extend Ohio State’s lead to two.
The quickfire double left the Terps completely subdued, unable to make an impact as the clock ran out on their penultimate match.
Three things to watch
1. Missing in action. After a solid first half, Luckey was subbed out for an inexperienced replacement in Cheeseboro, who let in three goals over the course of 45 minutes.
“I think that was a predetermined decision to reward somebody who we care about their development,” said Marchiano. “We think that they deserve the chance to play given the context of the game.”
2. The streak continues. After Smith’s goal, Maryland’s offense was silenced in its penultimate match, only notching three shots and losing their seventh match in a row. Going into their final game, the Terps have serious offensive adjustments to make to put themselves in contention next Sunday.
3. Limping home. As the season wraps up, many players have been sidelined due to serious injury. Peyton Bernard and Ellie Egeland’s absence have been felt on offense all season long, and Mckinley Heaven’s two consecutive missed games have forced Marchiano to get creative when crafting starting lineups.
