Maryland women’s soccer preview at Navy

The Terps hit the road to face Navy on Thursday.

After ending its three-match homestand with a thrilling 1-1 draw against James Madison, Maryland women’s soccer (1-1-2) heads to Annapolis to face Navy (2-2-0).

The Terps have an all-time 11-2-4 record against Navy, who they’ve played on a yearly basis since 2011, excluding 2019 and 2020. The Terps and Mids drew in each of the last two matches, with a 3-3 draw in 2023 and a 1-1 draw in 2022. The Terps last lost to Navy in 2021 in a 3-1 defeat at Ludwig Field, and last won in 2017 in a 3-0 home victory.

Thursday’s match will kick off at 7 p.m. from the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility in Annapolis and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Navy Midshipmen (3-2-0, 0-0-0 Patriot League)

2023 Record: 9-7-3, 3-6-0 Patriot League

Navy heads into Thursday’s match off an 8-0 win over Wilson College on Tuesday night at home. Navy’s season got off to a rough start, dropping its first two matches to UTSA and Rice. But Navy bounced back in the next two games, defeating both Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson. With Tuesday’s blowout win, the Mids are now above .500. Navy didn’t play many of its starters against Wilson College.

The Mids had a relatively successful season in 2023, finishing 9-7-3, but missed the Patriot League tournament.

Players to watch

Rylee Rives, senior midfielder, No. 2 — Rives has been a strong offensive force in 2024, leading Navy with three goals and six points this season. She has taken five shots and four shots on goal this season, amounting for a 60% shooting percentage and a 80% shots on goal percentage. In 2023, Rives scored two goals in 17 games.

Alexa Riddle, senior forward, No. 4 — Riddle leads the Mids with three assists this season, while also adding a goal. In 2023, her four goals and three assists earned her a spot on the 2023 All-Patriot League second team. Riddle also made the 2022 All-Patriot League third team. In 2021, Riddle won Patriot League Rookie of the Year and was named to the 2021 All-Patriot League first team.

Marlee Heaven, junior forward, No. 10 — Heaven has two goals on the season, both against Sacred Heart. In 17 games in 2023, Heaven recorded four goals and one assist, earning Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the week of Sept. 19th. In 2023, she also earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 28th after a two-goal performance against Maryland last season.

Strength

Goalkeeping. Navy has used both junior Talley Applewhite and freshman Natasha Stramrood in net this season. The duo has been a strong force for Navy as they have made 25 combined saves thus far, compared to their opponent’s 17 saves. Navy has also given up nine goals, where the Mids have scored 10 goals this season.

Weakness

Fouls. The Mids have found themselves in some foul trouble this season, committing 59 fouls compared to their opponents 50 fouls. Navy also committed a foul that gave Sacred Heart a penalty kick, which resulted in a goal.

Three things to watch

1. Defensive contributions from various areas. Through four matches this season, the Terps have kept up with their opponents. A big component of Maryland’s early season play has been its defense, especially with its midfielders’ contributions to that side of the ball.

After Thursday’s game against James Madison, Maryland head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer named Lauren Wrigley, Emily Lenhard, Ava Morales and Hannah Schapiro as midfielder’s who have stepped up their defensive game after she challenged them to do so. Them, along with Maryland’s starting back four of Katie Coyle, Tahirah Turnage-Morales, Brooke Tracey and Taryn Raibon and goalkeeper Liz Beardsley, have made it very difficult to score against the Terps.

Maryland has been even this season, both scoring and allowing five goals so far.

2. Can the Terps build off their late-game momentum? Despite only drawing in its last match against James Madison, Maryland women’s soccer believes that Sunday’s match was something to build on.

“I hope we build up on this. I hope that we continue and, you know, go a little bit deeper in our bench,” Ryan Nemzer said. “I hope that we can put some in the back of the net as well.”

3. How will the Terps perform on the road? After spending the last three matches at home, the Terps will now go on the road for the next three. Maryland has only played one road match in 2024, which was their season-opening 2-0 victory over Lehigh. That road match is Maryland’s only win of the season to this point. Last year, the Terps were 1-6-3 on the road.

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