Women's soccer team makes ACC statement even in loss

Florida State women's soccer forward Tiffany McCarty had an open lane to goal and looked ready to break up a scoreless tie. As the Seminoles' leading scorer set up for a shot at Terrapin goalkeeper Mary Casey from 10 yards out, defender Aimee Bresani slid in front of McCarty's shot, blocking it out of bounds and out of harm's way.

That all-out style was the Terps' defensive plan for Thursday night's game against No. 11 Florida State. For 97 minutes, it worked perfectly.

But it couldn't last long enough, as the Seminoles solved the defensive scheme in extra time and walked away a 1-0 winner. Despite the loss, the Terps showed they could hang in the ACC and realized the defensive intensity they need to bring to every game.

"Throw our bodies everywhere to get in front of them," Casey said of the defense that spent a lot of time on the ground against the Seminoles. "It's a matter of flying out and getting every ball. That's part of having heart, having guts and refusing to lose. That's what we need to do."

Showing the most heart and intensity of the season, the Terps (4-6-1, 0-3-0 ACC) played one of their best games against the Seminoles (8-2-1, 2-1-0) and had their fair share of chances to put the 11th-ranked team in the nation on its heels.

After a first half in which the Seminoles dominated play and held the majority of the possession, it seemed only a matter of time before the Terp defense would slip up.

During halftime, coach Brian Pensky told his team to forget about who it was playing and to focus on playing soccer and having fun.

"I told them we could play with [Florida State]," Pensky said. "We said, 'Let's play,' and knew we could play with this team. The girls came out encouraged and jacked up."

The Terps responded in a big way. Confident and relaxed, they played the Seminoles even in the second half and had three scoring opportunities that could have reversed the outcome of the game.

One reason for the Terps' increased scoring chances was a lineup change. Pensky switched up his front line and started freshmen Jasmyne Spencer and Danielle Schulmann in hopes of finding different ways to put the ball in the back of the net.

Although they were unable to score, Spencer and Schulmann's speed and pressure gave the Seminole defense trouble and the Terp offense a spark.

"We haven't been very good playing balls behind defenses," Pensky said. "I was trying to give a different look and be a little bit more athletic up top and potentially more dangerous."

While the Terps turned the corner and became dangerous in the second half, the Seminoles bombarded Casey with shots throughout the game.

Casey, who made her first start since suffering a concussion against Wake Forest last Thursday, stepped up to the challenge. She had a career-high eight saves, including several on point-blank Seminole shots.

The one goal Casey allowed to sneak past her was a header off a free kick that she never had a chance at.

The game-winning goal was set up after a Terp foul just outside the box gave Florida State a free kick with three minutes remaining in the first overtime. Despite successfully defending eight corner kicks and several free kicks in their box in regulation, the Terps failed to get a head on defender Sarah Wagenfuhr's cross that found Seminole forward Sanna Talonen's head before nestling in the back of the net.

As the Seminoles gathered in celebration and the Terps felt the pain of the heartbreaking loss, there were plenty of reasons for the Terps to keep their heads held high.

"This was one of the best games we've played so far this season," Casey said. "We're finally getting there, and we're excited to keep going in the ACC."

This weekend, the Terps take on Miami (7-4-2, 0-2-1) in a 1 p.m. Sunday showdown at Ludwig Field.

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