Just 14 seconds into the match, Maryland found itself on top. 

Following the opening pass from midfield, the ball was sent deep into Illinois’ defensive zone where graduate forward Alyssa Poarch collected it and immediately buried a shot in the lower left corner. 

Early leads have not been a common occurrence for the Terps thus far, and for the rest of the first half, they had the momentum. They dominated the time of possession and shots. 

However, that would not last. The Fighting Illini came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, scoring 3 straight goals. 

Maryland’s strong start wasn’t enough, as they were bested by Illinois, 3-2.

After the Terps’ stunning win over rival Michigan last Friday night, their first conference win since 2019, the team entered tonight’s match with momentum and hoped to carry it through the beginning of conference play.

Following their goal in the opening minute, the Terps played with confidence, generating plenty of opportunities accompanied by stifling defense. At the end of the first half, they led the Fighting Illini in shots (7-2), shots on goal (3-1), and corner kicks (6-3).

“Yeah, I mean, we spoke a lot about, you know, fight and swing first, that’s sort of been our mentality,” coach Meg Ryan Nezmer said. “I think what you’re seeing is that we are creating more opportunities, I think you’re finding our forwards are getting more competence with every game going.” 

In the second half, the opposite was true. The Illinois offense orchestrated a number of beautiful attacks into the Maryland defensive zone.

From the 55th minute to the 72nd minute, Illinois scored three consecutive goals. Its precise passing caused Maryland to get out of position, leading to opportunities. They finished the game with only six shots compared to Maryland’s 14, but four of their shots were on goal.

“I think we were a little lax tonight,” forward Alyssa Poarch remarked. “I think there were times where we played a little too dangerous when we could have played safe.”

Illinois’ goalkeeper Julia Cili was phenomenal, as she recorded five saves on Maryland’s sevens shots on goal. For the Terps, Madeline Smith had one save. 

The fouls for each side were relatively even, with the Terps registering 13 to Illinois’ 11. With both sides attacking often, the game ended with a number of offsides called. 

Maryland falls to 2-2-5, hoping to rebound on the road this Sunday against Big 10 East rival and the #4 ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Nemzer takes the pitch in New Jersey for the first time against her former team. 

“Obviously, it’s going to be a little weird going back, going to the visitor locker room and remembering which bench I need to go to,” Nezmer said when asked about her thoughts on returning to the school where she spent over a decade. “We are going to have to be very good with the details and habits defensively.”