By Henry Quach
COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland was shut out again on home turf, falling 2-0 to fellow Big Ten newcomers, Oregon, at Ludwig Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Ducks tried to gain an early advantage with a trio of shots in the first five minutes. Oregon fired the first two off target before the Terps defense made a stand to block the third.
Oregon held the Terps’ offense in check for the first 20 minutes, before Maryland finally had a chance in the 23rd from a corner kick. Maryland defender Tariah Turnage-Morales got the header from a lofted cross, but her attempt was saved by Oregon goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg.
The Terps defense would soon crumble.
Oregon bagged the opening goal in the 26th minute, after Cameron Bourne played a through ball into an open space for Haley McWhirter. The Ducks midfielder sent her strike into the top left corner to give her side a 1-0 lead.
After the setback, the Terps offense started to gain momentum.
Peyton Benard had a shot saved by Oregon goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg in the 32nd minute, before sophomore Madison Krakower sent an attempt wide just a minute later.
Maryland’s flurry of chances was capped when forward Kelsey Smith’s shot was blocked in the 44th minute.
“I definitely think we created more chances in our past couple of games, but we just need a little bit more bite in front of goal and just try to take our opportunities,” said Turnage-Morales.
Oregon carried its one-goal advantage into halftime. That deficit would soon double.
The Ducks floated a dangerous ball into the box in the 63rd minute. After bouncing around in the box, the ball fell to Ducks attacker, Ariane Boaler, who scored past Beardsley to make the score 2-0.
The Terps couldn’t gain any momentum to counter the Ducks as the game continued to be a back and forth sequence.
Oregon had a few more offensive charges down the stretch but didn’t convert on any. The home side also had several chances to strike back and spark a comeback, but couldn’t prevail on the opportunities after missing a couple shots near the net.
“The message right now [is that] we have to continue to focus on the process, focused on the details,” coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer said. “I know obviously that they see today as a loss, … but it was a good step forward and we need to continue to build off that.”
Maryland will look to bounce back on its first Big Ten road trip of the season. The Terps first stop is in Evanston, where they’ll face off with Northwestern on Thursday.
