A rainy game in College Park was marked by physicality and defensive production as the Terps took on the Bruins in a tough, grueling match.
Maryland women’s soccer fell to No. 12 UCLA, 2-0, marking its fifth straight loss since conference play began, continuing their streak of failing to score against Big Ten opponents.
Across the past five games, Maryland has fired 37 shots on goal. They have not scored one.
“Hopefully we don’t play top-15 teams every single game for the rest of the season,” head coach Michael Marchiano said. “But we might because that’s the level of the conference that we’re in and that’s the level we need to get to.”
Since the start of the game, both teams emphasized physicality by pushing and shoving, displaying strong defense. There were few whistles as the referees allowed them to keep playing until the 69th minute.
Maryland defender Paige Foye received her second yellow card of the game, resulting in a red card and her disqualification from playing the remainder of the match.
This was a major disadvantage for the Terps, as they had to play the remaining 20 minutes of the game down a player. It ultimately led to their loss as the defense let up two late UCLA goals.
“It changed the game drastically, and it’s a shame,” said Marchiano. “We need to make sure that we’re not putting ourselves in positions to be given those cards. It obviously affects the way that the game goes for the last 20 or 30 minutes; we’re disappointed by that.”
Maryland’s defense started out strong, preventing any success from an early aggressive UCLA offense.
Despite strong efforts and chances created by the defense, Maryland’s offense was unable to score.
It was an even battle through the first half, which ended goalless. The Terps’ defense prevented all six of UCLA’s shots from becoming scores.
Goalkeeper Faith Luckey was a key piece. An early UCLA corner kick shot was blocked away by Luckey. Luckey’s great performance continued. In the 17th minute, UCLA forward Samantha Sanchez kicked a low center shot that rolled right into Luckey’s hands, marking her first save of the game.
Ten minutes later, a sloppy turnover by the Terps led to a shot by UCLA forward Peyton Cooper. However, the consequence was avoided as Luckey saved the shot in another great play. Luckey’s efforts remained prominent in the rest of the game as she finished with six saves.
Maryland fell behind UCLA in offensive opportunities. The Terps finished the game with only nine shot attempts compared to the Bruins 21.
The game remained scoreless until the second half when UCLA defender Oruha Hayashi scored a brace, granting the Bruins their third straight Big Ten victory.
In the 74th minute, UCLA broke through the Maryland defense and created a great opportunity to convert their game-winning goal.
UCLA defender Anna Wilson crossed the ball to forward Oruha Hayashi. She headed the ball to the left of Luckey and into the back of the net, scoring the game’s sole goal. Maryland’s defense, down a player without Paige Foye, could not withstand the pressure of UCLA’s offense.
Hayashi converted again in the 86th minute. A low center goal got past Luckey, serving as the nail in the coffin.
A strong start by the Terps that ultimately fell apart after halftime is a reflection of their play in the Big Ten so far. An inability to finish games with the same level of offensive and defensive effort has been an obstacle to Maryland’s success.
“We need that resilience, and we need that toughness, not only now, but for sure in the future as well,” Marchiano said.
The Terps will hope to regroup and bounce back to secure their first Big Ten victory and end their losing streak as they face Minnesota on Friday.
“It’s apparent we’re not there yet, but we need to just keep focusing on taking the steps forward that will help us to bridge the gap, and we’re going to get there,” Marchiano said.
