By Devin Dae Tucker
Maryland won their first conference game of the season in a 1-0 victory against Michigan State Wednesday afternoon at Ludwig Field.
The Terps scored the game’s lone goal in the 54th minute off the foot of junior forward Lisa Bianchini, the first of her career.
“I just saw the ball laid down, I don’t even know who hit it but I knew I had to get it in, so we did,” Bianchini said.
The goal came from a corner kick by Riley Barger, and a scramble in the box ensued. Senior Maisie McCune was able to head the ball, and sophomore Alex Anthony was able to get a piece of the ball before Bianchini was able to tap it in.
Maryland (6-10-1, 1-7-1 Big Ten) controlled the tempo of the game and possessed the ball much longer than the Spartans (7-8-1, 3-4-2) were able to.
“It feels great [chuckles], it was a long time coming and I feel like we really deserved it tonight,” Bianchini said on the team’s first Big Ten win of the season.
Maryland, who is eliminated from postseason play, got a huge effort from McCune, who only has two games left of her career.
“In the first half, there wasn’t much urgency to get forward, but in the locker room during halftime everyone was like, ‘Let’s go! We only have three games to go, we have nothing to lose and leave everything on the field,’” McCune said.
“Ugly, scrappy, and really pleased,” said head coach Jonathan Morgan after the win. “First of all I feel great for the kids and feel great for our staff because it has been a long time since we’ve had a win, but we’ll take it however we can get it.”
The Terp’s defense was also a bright spot in the matchup, allowing just four shots on goal despite 16 Spartan attempts. Senior goalkeeper Rachelle Beanlands recorded four saves.
Anthony recorded four shots, with the second shot breaking a Maryland single-season record for shot attempts in a season (84), which has stood since 1996 and previously held by Keri Sarver. Anthony leads the Big Ten in shots with 87.
Maryland’s next matchup is at 7 p.m. Saturday, when the Terps face first-place Wisconsin (10-4-3, 7-1-1) at Ludwig Field on Senior Night.
