By Henry Quach

TOWSON, MD –– It was a dominant attack for Maryland women’s soccer throughout the first half Thursday night, despite three blocked shots in the early stages of the game. 

A pair of Maryland defenders teamed up for the game’s opening goal, which would soon be matched on an equalizing shot from Towson – eventually resulting in a 1-1 draw between the neighboring squads.

Freshman defender Taryn Raibon struck first in the 22nd minute thanks to an assist from sophomore Kennedy Bell, giving Maryland an early 1-0 advantage. 

But despite their early lead, the Terps had trouble staying onside. The Maryland attack was faulted six times in the first half alone, which kept its offense quiet the rest of the way. 

Towson took advantage of Maryland’s first half mistakes. The Tigers’ attack tallied five shots – four of which came in a flurry between the 32nd and 38th minute – within a dynamic offensive attack.

However, Maryland’s defense proved up for the task and kept the defensive pressure, fueled by two saves by senior goalkeeper Liz Beardsley. 

The momentum flipped out of the break, with Towson’s offense leading a promising start to the second half. The Tigers struck right back with a flashy goal in the 48th minute to tie it up at one apiece.

The Tigers were ghosted after the equalizing goal, failing to put a shot on target the rest of the game. 

But it was a different story for the Terps, despite the defensive mishaps.

They stayed composed in search of their go-ahead goal, cleaning up their offside issues from the first half. 

However, both teams couldn’t find the back of the net in the 2nd half despite many efforts to score the go-ahead. The second half was a true defensive showcase. 

It was a clean game overall as both teams only shared eight fouls throughout the game. Maryland faced slightly more of the discipline though, picking up five of the game’s eight fouls.  

The Terps now head back to College Park, entering their final non-conference game this Sunday at noon against VCU.