Maryland women’s soccer entered Sunday scoreless in each of its four Big Ten-road matches and having allowed the most goals in the conference. But against Nebraska — a team that came in tied with the Terps in points — Maryland seemingly had a chance to breakthrough.
Instead, it floundered. The Terps were outshot by 23 and allowed a score in each half, falling to the Cornhuskers, 2-0 at Barbara Hibner Soccer Stadium. Maryland is 6-2 at Ludwig Field this season, but winless on the road.
Both the Terps (6-9, 2-6 Big Ten) and Cornhuskers have struggled in conference play this season, though Nebraska entered with the most shots in the Big Ten. The team’s matchup reflected that — defined by lost possessions, sloppy fouls and a few scores making the difference.
The Cornhusker’s first score came off a handball.
After 38 minutes of unsuccessful offensive play, Maryland midfielder Lisa McIntyre’s hand grazed the ball within the penalty box in an attempt to clear out a cross. The referees reviewed for several minutes before deciding Nebraska (7-3-5, 2-3-3 Big Ten) would receive a penalty kick.
Defender Lauryn Anglim shot straight into the middle section of the net, around diving goalkeeper Faith Luckey, giving the Cornhuskers a one-goal edge at halftime.
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Just a few minutes into the second half, Nebraska nearly scored again, but had a goal taken away due to offsides. But the Cornhuskers weren’t stopped for long.
Midfielder Reagan Raabe created another opportunity in the 61st minute when she dribbled down the sideline and delivered a pass to midfielder Ella Rudney. With a skillful left-footed finish, Rudney’s shot sailed past Luckey’s outstretched arms, giving Nebraska a multiple-score lead.
Cornhusker’s goalkeeper Cece Villa finished with only one save on a Kelsey Smith shot in the 46th minute. The Terps were unable to produce any corner kicks.
While Maryland had brief opportunities, stringing together quick one-touch passes to maintain possession, it overall struggled to maintain attacks for most of the match. Villa didn’t even touch the ball until the 27th minute on a pass from her teammate.
Meanwhile, Luckey faced 29 shots and ended with 10 saves. The redshirt sophomore entered Sunday averaging the fourth-most saves in the Big Ten with 4.71 per game.
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Luckey’s 10 saves broke her career-high record again after she set it with nine over each of the past two games.
Luckey has had little help protecting the goal in match play. Maryland conceded nine corners against Nebraska and failed to alleviate pressure off of its goalkeeper. The Terps finished with more yellow cards than shots on goal.
And they finished winless in five Big Ten-road contests this season, failing to score a goal. Maryland concludes its season with three home matches as it seeks to reach .500 in its first full campaign under coach Michael Marchiano.
