On Thursday night, Maryland women’s soccer’s match looked over before it even began. The Terps were completely outplayed the whole night by No. 7 Iowa, only finding three shots as they fell, 2-0.
Maryland
failed to find openings the whole match, as the Hawkeyes maintained possession for the better part of 90 minutes and forced the Terps to defend an absurd 27 shots.
On Sunday, the Terps will play their final away match of the season in Lincoln as they take on Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are coming off a contentious 1-0 win over Purdue and look to claim their second conference win of the season against Maryland.
The match will begin at 2:05 p.m. Sunday in Lincoln, Nebraska, and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-3-5, 1-3-3 Big Ten)
2024 Record: (6-10-1, 3-7-1 Big Ten)
The Cornhuskers had an extremely strong campaign in 2023, achieving a Big Ten regular season title and reaching the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. Since then, Nebraska has struggled — they only won six matches last year and missed a berth in the Big Ten Tournament. These struggles have marked a low point in the career of head coach John Walker, who has been at the helm of the program since 1994.
Nebraska has struggled to score in conference play, with only five goals under its belt. However, its backline has held strong and forced multiple draws against tough teams, including Penn State and Ohio State.
Players to watch
Reagan Raabe, graduate midfielder/forward, No. 7 – In a down year for Nebraska, Raabe has served as an all-around contributor on the offensive end. She has four goals and four assists under her belt and is proven in the clutch, notching the only goal in Thursday’s win over Purdue.
Lauryn Anglim, senior defender, No. 21 – Anglim’s unexpected production has been a pleasant surprise for Nebraska, as her goal against then No. 8 Penn State pulled off a shocking tie. Her .700 shots on goal percentage is rare for a defender as she continues to defy expectations; she could be a dangerous and accurate presence on set pieces and corners.
Carson Bohonek, freshman forward, No. 22 – Bohonek has proven to be the ultimate team player in her freshman season, earning four assists, including the go-ahead in the win over Purdue. She has also proven ability in scoring against high quality defenses, netting a goal against Michigan’s solid backline.
Strength
Shots per game. Nebraska leads the Big Ten with 16.9 shots per game and has outshot their opponents in almost every match this season. The Terps have specifically struggled against high-volume shooting this season — they have only won a single match when outshot.
Weakness
Close games. The Cornhuskers have struggled to close out matches this season, as all but two of their matches have been decided by two goals or less. Nebraska has also proven prone to late-match faltering that has prevented it from closing out multiple conference matchups.
Three things to watch
1. Will the Terps be swept on the road? Sunday’s match will mark the final away game for Maryland this season, having gone 0-6 this season on the road. This lack of production on the road could be the product of mental blocks that Michael Marchiano will need to break before the team heads to Lincoln.
2. Can they stop the shots? The Terps have let up extremely high volumes of shots in the last four matches. Last match’s 27 shots allowed tied the season-high. Maryland will need to find some way to lighten the load on Faith Luckey against the leader of the Big Ten in total shots.
3. What will the offense change? In contrast to shots allowed, Maryland has been completely smothered on offense, only logging 3 shots against Iowa. The Terps will need to improve their spacing on both runs and set pieces in order to stay in the match against Nebraska.
