During the summer, the Terrapin women's soccer team set a goal of reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. That goal was realized yesterday afternoon as the No. 20 Terps snuck past No. 22 Washington State 1-0 in a physical second round game at Ludwig Field.
The Terps were able to get past the Cougars in a game that could have gone either way, with forward Jasmyne Spencer's goal in the 32nd minute holding up for the No. 4 seed Terps.
Goalkeeper Mary Casey led the Terps (14-5-2), recording five saves en route to her ninth clean sheet of the season. Coach Brian Pensky lauded the senior captain's performance.
"Mary is a constant injection of confidence to our backline, to our entire team," Pensky said. "There's no question that we go into a game feeling good about our goalkeeping and great about the leadership she brings to the table."
The win comes in the Terps' first tournament appearance since 2004, a year before Pensky took the reins. The Terps defeated Monmouth 4-0 Friday night to advance to take on the Cougars, who handed Villanova a 1-0 loss Friday.
Casey recorded the biggest play of the game when Washington State forward Kiersten Dallstream approached the net all alone in the 77th minute. Casey charged Dallstream near the top of the box, and with the game on the line made a sliding save on the Cougars' best opportunity.
Casey turned away another golden opportunity for the Cougars in the 83rd minute, smothering a point-blank shot in the box to seal the victory for the Terps. The Cougars recorded a 12-10 shot advantage in the match.
Washington State outplayed the Terps for much of the first half, dominating the first 15 minutes of the game. Both teams came out of the gates conservatively, not trying to give the other team any opportunities. But the Cougars were able to keep much of the play in the Terps' defensive end.
"We talked to our backline about being a little bit more conservative in terms of dropping off and trying to keep the game in front of them," Pensky said.
It was Spencer's continued influence up front that gave the momentum to the Terps.
A free kick in the 31st minute led to a corner for the Terps. Forward Caitlin Mooney sent the corner toward the far post, where defender Megan Watson headed it on goal. The Cougar backline turned the attempt away, allowing midfielder Molly Dreska to get a foot on it. The ball trickled through the box, where Spencer was able to corral it and put it away.
"Jasmyne's just a workhorse," Casey said. "She never quits on plays, and she gives us chances we wouldn't normally get."
Spencer's goal increased her point total to 25 on the season, which leads the Terps.
The Terps will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., next Saturday to take on ACC foe and No. 4-ranked North Carolina for the third time this season. The Tar Heels recorded a 1-0 victory at Ludwig Field Nov. 1 and a 3-0 win in Chapel Hill Nov. 4 in the ACC tournament.
Casey believes the Terps' tournament dreams can continue through Chapel Hill, despite the fact that the Terps have never beaten the Tar Heels' women's soccer's dominant program.
"We know what [North Carolina] likes to do," Casey said. "We came into the season hoping to reach the Sweet 16, but we're not going to settle for that. We're not done."
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