Maryland women’s soccer held on in the first half to keep No. 5 Michigan State scoreless despite allowing 13 shots. But the Spartans struck on their very first look of the second half.
In the 51st minute, Kennedy Bell rolled a through ball to Renee Watson, and after Maryland’s defense took a bad angle, Watson tucked the ball into the right corner of the net.
The Terps’ offense couldn’t generate any significant chances of their own, as they fell 1-0 to the Spartans.
Watson and Bell were the main contributors
to Michigan State’s first-half attack, combining for six shots and three shots on goal. It took time for the attacking pressure to pay its dividends, but Michigan State’s offense started to take control of the game right away.
In the sixth minute, the Spartans broke through the backline on a great pass from Kayla Briggs, yet LJ Pearcy’s cross-goal shot was blocked by Faith Luckey.
Bell continued the attack in the 11th minute and fired a shot that sailed just wide of the left post. Bell led the Spartans’ offense early with three shots in the first 21 minutes of play, but she couldn’t muster any shots on goal.
Michigan State applied pressure yet again in the 14th minute, but again, Luckey came through to save a close-range shot from Watson.
With the Spartans’ attack holding the ball in the box, Maryland got its first chance from Jolie Farmer’s interception of a pass.
With space in the middle of the field, Farmer continued toward the attacking end, but defenders converged to reclaim possession before the Terps could convert.
Maryland’s offense struggled to create offense in the first half, taking just one shot over that span. With the Terps’ defense on their heels for much of the half, the attack couldn’t create enough possession to alleviate pressure for the backline.
Meanwhile, Michigan State had 13 shots in the first half. But the Terps’ defense, led by Luckey, held strong. After posting a career-high in saves against Michigan, Luckey followed it up with five first-half stops.
It took until the 59th minute for Maryland to get its first shot on goal, but Bernard’s attempt from well outside the box was easily saved by Noelle Henning.
Bernard’s shot would be the only shot on goal for Maryland’s offense, and one of just four shots the Terps mustered against Michigan State’s defense.
As Maryland searched for some offense, the Spartans continued to dominate possession.
In the 70th minute, Bella Najera launched a shot towards the goal, but Luckey knocked the ball down for the save. The ball bounced in the box to the feet of Eden Bretzer, who had a chance to find a shot until Ella Bulava closed the space and knocked the ball away.
As the Spartans continued to hunt for an insurance goal, the Terps were aided by another great save, this time from a different goalkeeper.
Briggs forced a beautiful stop after pushing the ball past Terps defender Kamryn Cole, but Meredith Fisher won the one-on-one matchup to keep the deficit within reach.
Despite Fisher giving Maryland a chance to level the score with the save, the Terps’ offense couldn’t capitalize, as the Spartans’ one goal would be enough for the win.
Three things to know
1. Offense returns to mid-season form. Maryland went the first seven games of Big Ten play without a goal, and the offense against Michigan State looked very similar to how it did over that stretch. The Terps barely held possession in attacking areas and didn’t have a single chance that proved much of a threat to the Spartans’ defense.
2. Goalkeepers kept Maryland in the game. Both Luckey and Fisher played great in their respective time on the field, combining for nine saves and just the one goal allowed. Luckey kept the Terps’ deficit from ballooning for much of the game, making multiple great saves between the pipes. Fisher came in late and gave Maryland a chance to tie the game. Despite the Terps’ failure to score, the goalkeeper play was one positive.
3. One game left. With Maryland’s trip to Michigan now at an end, the Terps have just one game remaining in the regular season. Already eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament, Maryland will face off against Rutgers on Friday for the Terps’ last game of the 2026 season.
