By Jackson Wantman

An Ohio State score in the eighty-ninth minute nailed the difference in the Terps’ third conference game against Ohio State on Sunday. Maryland kept it tied until the very end but was unable to get points from the match. 

It was a rainy and cloudy day at Ludwig Field as the Terps came into the game hoping to pick up a win in conference play after a loss and a draw in their previous two.

Liz Beardsley made a nice save early on in the first minute of action, and Ohio State got a solid chance soon after, but it ended with Brooke Otto sending her shot inside the box over the net.

Despite the loss, the junior goalkeeper was the star of the show Sunday afternoon, making 8 saves on the day. 

“I think that’s just Liz being Liz..” said senior midfielder Catherine DeRosa, “We expect her to come up big and make those saves when we need her to and that’s exactly what she did today.”

Maryland was awarded two corners in the sixteenth and seventeenth minute but was only able to muster one shot from freshman Kennedy Bell that was blocked by an Ohio State defender.

Ohio State controlled possession for much of the first half, not allowing Maryland to gain any offensive momentum and keeping the ball in the Terps’ offensive third.

Maryland was able to create a chance in the thirty-first minute when Kennedy Bell forced a turnover and pushed the ball down the right side to Lauren Wrigley. However, Lisa McIntyre’s shot from Wrigley’s pass went over the net.

Liz Beardsley made arguably the save of the day in the thirty-second minute, when she dove at the top left of the net, saving Amanda Schlueter’s shot.

Despite the 0-0 score at halftime, the first forty-five was all Buckeyes. Despite only having 53% possession, the Buckeyes were certainly controlling the flow of the game. Ohio State also took five corners and had two dangerous shots on Liz Beardsley along with seven total shots.

The Terps were able to produce some offensive possessions, however, they were not able to really capitalize off the chances they were given, only getting one shot on goal and two corners, compared to Ohio State’s five. Two offside calls also stifled the Terps’ offensive momentum in the first half.

Maryland came out of the locker room aggressively, quickly moving down the field after starting the half with the ball. Unfortunately, another offside call prematurely ended the possession.

Liz Beardsley was called upon yet again in the forty-eighth minute, making another wonderful save off of Ohio State senior Peyton McNamara’s free kick.

Maryland had a prime chance to take the lead in the fifty-fifth minute when junior midfielder Lauren Wrigley had an open chance at goal off a rebound from a Catherine DeRosa shot. However, Wrigley’s touch was inaccurate and the ball went wide left.

Ohio State continued to mount the pressure on the Terps early on in the second half, getting more and more shots on goal. But Liz Beardsley would not budge and add more impressive saves to her stat line for the day.

The match was fairly even through the middle part of the second half, with both teams trading counterattacks and causing turnovers. 

Kennedy Bell took a great shot in the seventy-second minute, off a possession thanks to a Maryland corner. However, her shot was saved by Buckeye keeper Molly Pritchard, who had her first real test of the day with that shot. 

Maryland’s offensive energy was certainly higher in the second forty-five, especially in the last 15 minutes of the half. The Terps kept putting pressure on Ohio State’s back line and continued to take more shots at Molly Pritchard.

It was a tense last ten minutes for the Terps, as the Buckeyes maintained the majority of possession and kept pushing the ball into Maryland’s box. 

In a chaotic chain of events in the last two minutes, Ohio State took multiple shots at Maryland until the last shot from midfielder Christin Baumbick curled left into the net which won the game for the Buckeyes. 

Head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer spoke on the mentality she wants her team to have moving forward. 

“We got to be 1-0 after Michigan State, you know, that’s going to be the mentality…I don’t want to focus on the past or focus on the future. I want to focus on us and how we get better”

The Terps will look to bounce back on September 28th, when they travel to East Lansing to face Michigan State.