The Terps hit the road for their final three matches of the regular season.
After winning its first Big Ten game since 2022 on Sunday, Maryland women’s soccer will play in three road matches to end the season.
“I have to imagine, from an emotional standpoint, from a joy standpoint, hopefully this gives us some momentum heading into the next three games, but specifically into the next game,” interim head coach Michael Marchiano said after Sunday’s win.
To start this final stretch, the Terps head to Minnesota Thursday night.
The match will begin at 8 p.m. from Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium and stream on Big Ten Plus.
Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-3-3, 3-3-2 Big Ten)
Minnesota comes into the match 10th in the Big Ten standings and fresh off a 3-2 loss to then-No. 20 Penn State. Minnesota’s last win was over then-No. 8 Ohio State, 3-2, on Thursday.
Minnesota beat Illinois, Michigan and Ohio State and lost to Wisconsin, UCLA and Penn State in conference play. The two Big Ten draws came with then-No. 24 USC and Northwestern.
Minnesota was 6-0-1 in nonconference play, defeating Creighton, St. Thomas, Milwaukee, Marquette, Army and North Dakota State. The only nonconference draw came with Brown.
Led by head coach Erin Chastain, the Golden Gophers have already surpassed their 2023 win total.
Players to watch
Khyah Harper, senior forward, No. 34 — Harper leads the Big Ten with 16 goals in 15 matches this season. She posted back-to-back hat tricks early this season August against St. Thomas and Milwaukee, the first time a Minnesota player has so since 1998. She has taken a huge leap in 2024 after recording a goal and four assists in 2023.
Paige Kalal, sophomore forward, No. 5 — Kalal leads the Big Ten with nine assists this season, while also scoring a goal. The sophomore only totaled a goal and two assists in 2023. All nine of her assists have been spread out between different matches. Kalal and Harper have been a dynamic duo for Minnesota’s offense.
Sophia Romine, graduate student midfielder/forward, No. 8 — Romine has 11 points in her third season with the Golden Gophers, off four goals and three assists. She has started every match she’s played with Minnesota after transferring from Wisconsin before the 2022 season. In 2023, Romine lead the Golden Gophers with six goals.
Strength
Shots on goal. Minnesota has done a good job getting shots on goal in 2024. Of Minnesota’s 220 shots, 107 have been on target, the second highest percentage in the Big Ten at 48.6%. Iowa is the only team with a higher percentage at 51.1%.
Weakness
Offsides in conference play. Minnesota has been called offside 25 times during Big Ten play, the second-most in the conference. Minnesota has been called offside 36 times all season.
Three things to watch
1. Ending on a high note. After finally getting the monkey off its back by snapping a 17-game Big Ten scoreless and winless streak, Maryland looks to build on the win to finish the season on a high note. The final three matches on the road against Minnesota, Wisconsin and Rutgers gives Maryland a chance to finish a difficult season in a positive way.
“It’s really important to end on a high note, especially with three way games to wrap up the season,” Katie Coyle said.
2. Beardsley’s last three. Liz Beardsley has been Maryland’s brightest spot after transferring in from Georgia. She will have a chance to finish off her Maryland career with three final road performances. Her final home match was a shutout win on Sunday. Beardsley currently sits eight saves behind No. 10 in all-time program saves. Her 11 career shutouts is No. 9 all-time for Maryland and she is one shutout away from being tied at No. 7.
3. Can the scoring continue? After ending the scoreless streak on Sunday, Maryland will look to continue that scoring touch.