Maryland women’s soccer goalie Faith Luckey erased yet another dangerous close-range effort from No. 7 Iowa in the 67th minute, nabbing another loose ball deep in the box. She was more than exhausted on
the night, facing 11 shots on goal and constant pressure on the defensive end on the road.
But in the 75th minute, the Hawkeyes finally capitalized on their endless pressure, putting in a goal that even Luckey couldn’t prevent. A well-placed cross from Sofia Bush found the head of an unmarked Kelli McGroarty, who redirected the ball in to notch her fifth goal on the season and extend Iowa’s lead to two scores.
That score capped off the match as the Hawkeyes handily put Maryland away, 2-0, in a lopsided affair.
Iowa quickly took control at the kickoff, maintaining possession in Maryland’s half. Faith Luckey had to stay alert — an early pair of shots were stifled in the third minute.
The Terps took their first possession in the fifth minute after a hard foul on Mckinley Heaven. But the Hawkeyes quickly struck back, as Maryland’s frontline looked disoriented early. Josie Jones curled a progressive cross into the box in the seventh minute, which sailed high of Liana Tarasco.
The Hawkeyes racked up five shots by the 20th minute, but could not convert.
Kelsey Smith won a free kick in the 24th minute after she was tripped up by Abby Skiff. Ava Morales lined up just beyond the penalty box, ready to strike. However, her shot just missed its mark, glancing high off the crossbar.
Maryland continued its newfound momentum in the 27th minute, as a cross from Alyssa Abramson found Smith, who missed wide right.
The Hawkeyes urgently drove back. A brilliant pass from Bush found Kenzie Roling, who neatly chipped the ball over a leaping Luckey in the 28th minute. But Iowa’s efforts were nullified, as the official deemed Roling offsides.
Roling got her revenge in the 34th minute, after an errant header for Abramson was won back by Iowa. Emily Lenhard attempted a clear, but muffed the kick as the ball dribbled into the box for Roling, who drove her shot into the lower lefthand corner to give the Hawkeyes the lead.
As Iowa made a plethora of subs, all of Maryland’s starters remained on the pitch, looking completely out of breath as Iowa prepared for its sixth corner in the 39th minute.
The Hawkeyes had maintained possession for nearly the entire half, earning seven total corners while allowing Maryland none. The Terps, outshot 9-2, entered the locker room with a full buffet of food for thought.
The second half began with more of the same. Aggressive pressure from the Hawkeyes forced an uncomfortable clearance and a diving save from Luckey within the first five minutes. She should’ve been tested again a minute later, but another shot was launched well high of the goal from close range by Elle Wildman.
Maryland finally earned its first corner kick in the 52nd minute after a run from Heaven was barely stopped. But Iowa easily regained possession just seconds after the entry pass.
Maryland’s match followed a similar story across the next 20 minutes, as the defense scrambled, the offense faltered and Luckey was more than overwhelmed.
A shove from Delaney DeMartino and a missed tackle from Tarasco earned both players yellow cards in the 61st and 63rd minutes, respectively. Play was briefly stopped after the latter card as Micheal Marchiano asked that hecklers, who had been harassing Luckey for over 10 minutes, be removed from the grounds.
The aggression continued into the 64th minute, as Mitchell sent Tarasco to the turf mere inches from the penalty box. Greer’s shot rocketed towards the goal, but it was denied yet again by Luckey, who earned her sixth save of the night.
After their second score, the Hawkeyes didn’t let up, and a pair of shots in the 83rd minute sailed just off target.
Iowa controlled possession for the final minutes of the match, and won its fifth game in a row. Meanwhile, Maryland went without a goal in its fourth straight match.
Three things to know
- Dominated. While the scoreline may not truly show it, Iowa was in command for every second of the bout, controlling possession for over 65% of the match. Maryland’s abysmal minus-24 shot differential spelled out drastic issues on both sides of the ball.
- Under pressure. Throughout the week, Marchiano repeatedly asserted how the team needs to stop allowing a high volume of shots. Tonight, the Terps failed to deliver on their coach’s goals, facing a season-high 27 shots. If not for nine heroic saves at the hands of Luckey, the scoreline could have been far more lopsided.
- One Terp show. Earlier this season, Maryland struggled in its offensive positioning, as Kelsey Smith often outran her teammates and failed to get a clean cross off. On Thursday, Heaven replicated those issues, as her continuous efforts were smothered multiple times by a host of Iowa defenders.
