Maryland women’s soccer draws against Stony Brook, 2-2

All four goals came in the first half.

After a chaotic first half, Maryland women’s soccer and Stony Brook drew, 2-2, on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday’s contest was back-and-forth throughout and came down to the final few minutes, but the squads finished deadlocked. Maryland now moves to 1-0-1, adding to a mostly-positive start to the season.

The Terps had an incredible start, as they got on the break in the opening minutes. Ava Morales sent a boot down perfectly to Kelsey Smith, who tapped it in past Nicolette Pasquarella, giving Maryland a one-goal lead just over a minute into the match.

However, the Terps’ lead did not last. It took less than eight minutes for Stony Brook to knot the score, as Gabrielle Côté scored off her left foot on a scorcher to the top right corner past Liz Beardsley. Sammy Hannwacker was credited with the assist.

The chaotic start to the match did not end there. Maryland’s Taryn Raibon had a chance to reclaim the lead quickly after the tying goal, but she pushed the shot wide.

The first half’s pace slowed down after the disorderly first 10 minutes. Both teams earned three corners and traded solid chances. Stony Brook was clearly the more physical team in the first half, committing seven fouls compared to Maryland’s three. However, Maryland received the only yellow card of the opening 45 minutes, as Lauren Wrigley was called for unsporting on a slide tackle.

The first period quickly intensified in the final five minutes. Lisa McIntyre reclaimed the lead for the Terps in the 40th minute, scoring off a deflection in the penalty box.

Akin to the first two goals of the game, Stony Brook struck back two minutes later. Leah Rifas found the bottom right corner off an assist by Hannah Maracina to tie the score at 2-2.

Ultimately, the first half was a relatively even period. Maryland attempted two more shots, but the save totals were knotted up at two apiece.

The second half began with some key chances for Stony Brook, stemming from a few early corner kicks. The Seawolves almost broke the tie when Luciana Setteducate beat Beardsley, but she was denied by the post to keep things even.

Later on in the half, Beardsley was called upon again. She made a spectacular leaping save on a shot by Hannwacker, tapping it over the net.

Unlike the first half, the Terps were not nearly as dominant in the latter 45 minutes of play. Despite Maryland holding most of the possession, it was Stony Brook who had the majority of chances early on in the second half.

That changed in the 66th minute, though, when Peyton Bernard missed a deflected shot to give Maryland a corner. Kennedy Bell then hammered a shot in front that was blocked over the net for a subsequent corner. Yet, Maryland failed to score on this continuous pressure, as Hannah Schapiro took an off target shot to end the possession.

The following 17 minutes of the match were mostly even, despite a Maryland chance in the 76th minute that nearly put it ahead.

Maryland earned another corner with seven minutes remaining, but the shot went wide. Then, Ellie Egeland got a good chance with a shot in the middle, but it was saved by Pasquarella.

With under two minutes to go, Maryland had a last-ditch effort to go out in front. Bernard had a flurry of chances, but could not bury them, as Stony Brook escaped the late scare and left College Park with a draw.

Three things to know

1. Striking early. Maryland women’s soccer wasted no time getting on the board on Sunday. It took Smith 1 minute and 17 seconds to find the back of the net to give Maryland an early 1-0 lead.

2. Injuries for the Terps. Tahirah Turnage-Morales left the game in the 15th minute of the match, went straight to the medical tent and did not return to the pitch. Wrigley also left the match with an injury, but returned later on.

3. Beardsley’s clutch second half. After giving up two goals in the first half, Beardsley came up big for Maryland in the second. She saved the game and kept it tied on multiple occasions, including one superhero-esque save in the 58th minute.

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