Last-second Virginia goal still haunts Terps in 2010

The No. 7 Terrapin women's soccer team won't soon forget what transpired in Charlottesville, Va., last October.

After midfielder Caitlin McDowell gave the Terps a 2-1 lead over host Virginia with her 79th-minute goal, it appeared with each passing minute that the Terps would soon be heading home with a big road victory.

They came up exactly one second short of leaving with a win. Cavalier midfielder Jess Rostedt's shot from 15 yards out rolled past then-goalkeeper Mary Casey and into the back of the net, sending the game into overtime, where it ended in a draw.

To the Terps, it might as well have been a loss.

"Oh, my gosh, I feel like that game just happened," McDowell said. "That was definitely a game that resonated with us all season. It still feels so surreal."

The Terps have their first opportunity for vengeance tonight, when the No. 9 Cavaliers come to Ludwig Field.

"We realize how close we were last year," McDowell said. "It made us realize you have to play literally every second of every game."

The Terps (8-0-1, 0-0-1 ACC) will need a 90-minute effort if they hope to get their first conference win of the season over the powerful Cavaliers (7-1-1, 1-0), who have surrendered a mere two goals all season and boast the nation's stingiest goals against average.

Virginia can bring it up top, as well. They are averaging 3.33 goals per game this season, the best mark in the ACC, and they have two players with seven goals apiece, the same number Terp forward and leading scorer Ashley Grove has.

"They're the stingiest defense that we've played against so far," coach Brian Pensky said. "They've also scored the most goals of any team we've played against."

Goals, obviously, will not be easy to come by for the Terps despite their explosive offense, which ranks seventh in the nation in scoring.

Forward Jasmyne Spencer stressed the importance of striking first tonight.

"In all of our ACC games, especially Virginia, we've got to be the first ones to score," Spencer said. "It takes so much pressure off and gives you that edge, especially at home."

Scoring the first goal might not be decisive for the Terps, but taking points from the game will be pivotal. The upper echelon of the ACC appears to be as wide-open as ever after No. 2 Boston College's 3-2 win over defending national champion North Carolina on Sept. 23.

If the Terps hope to leap to ACC prominence, they'll need to play soundly from the opening kickoff to the final second.

The very last second.

cwalsh@umdbk.com