After a devastating loss on Sunday night, Maryland women’s soccer (2-2-2) looks to recuperate in its Thursday match with Towson (2-2-2).
The Terps’ had decent start to the season, but its last match was a bad omen for the future. The Terps led George Mason, 2-0, on Sunday night, but proceeded to allow three consecutive goals and lose the match.
Thursday night’s match starts at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on FloFC.
Towson Tigers (2-2-2, 0-0-0 CAA)
2023 record: 15-3-2, 9-1-2 CAA
Head coach Katherine Vettori’s squad came into the 2024 season as defending CAA conference champions. In 2023, the Tigers won their conference tournament, but were bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by North Carolina, 3-1.
This season has been a bit of a different story. The Tigers lost matches to Virginia and George Washington and drew with St. John’s and Florida. Towson’s two wins have been against notably weaker opponents, being a 1-0 win over UMBC and a 9-0 win over Delaware State.
Players to watch
Sophie Thibeault, sophomore midfielder, No. 18 — Thibeault leads the Tigers with three goals in 2024. All of her goals came via a hat trick against Delaware State. Thibeault is a rising star for Towson after only appearing in five games last year.
Malin Bernt Schöps, freshman midfielder/defender, No. 24 — The Denmark native has two goals and an assist in her first season of collegiate soccer. She’s attempted six shots and has four shots on goal for a 33.3% shooting percentage and a 66.7% shots on goal percentage.
Riley Melendez, senior goalkeeper, No. 1 — Melendez has won back-to-back CAA Goalkeeper of the Year awards, the first Towson player to do so. This season, Melendez has conceded seven goals for a 1.2 goals-against average. She has made 29 saves for an 80.6% save percentage.
Strength
Goals. The Tigers are outscoring opponents 12-7 thus far in 2024, averaging two goals per game compared to opponents 1.2 goals per game. In 2023, the Tigers outscored opponents 43-14.
Weakness
Early-season stats are inflated. Towson’s stats don’t look nearly as good without its 9-0 demolition of Delaware State. Towson has struggled in all other matches, scoring a total of three goals against Virginia, UMBC, St. John’s, George Washington and Florida.
Three things to watch
1. Can the Terps bounce back? Sunday night’s 3-2 loss to George Mason was detrimental to the Terps because they controlled play, outshooting and outchancing the Patriots. A 2-0 first-half lead was not enough, as Liz Beardsley and the defense struggled to keep three late goals out of the back of the net. The Terps will need to move forward against Towson.
2. Lenhard’s freshman charge. Emily Lenhard has a goal and two assists to start her freshman season. She’s been a huge factor in the Terps’ midfield, logging the third-most minutes on the team. In that playing time, she’s been a workhorse on both the offensive and defensive ends. She’s attempted seven shots — three on goal — through six games. She also totaled both of her assists Sunday night.
3. Breaking even. This season, Maryland has been dead even in some major categories. The Terps are 2-2-2 and have scored and allowed eight goals. The Terps have also recorded 31 shots on goal, while their opponents have tallied 30. Maryland needs to break this trend if it wants to have more success in 2024.
