Women's soccer's Pensky upbeat after draw vs. Wake Forest

Though the scoreboard at Ludwig Field read 0-0 after the Terrapins women's soccer team had just fought through its fourth scoreless tie of the year, coach Brian Pensky was able to find positives Saturday.

In recent ACC games, the No. 17 Terps had struggled to possess the ball and control the tempo of the game, a deficiency that led to unsatisfactory results, such as a 4-1 loss to Virginia on Sept. 15 and a 0-0 tie with N.C. State on Sept. 25.

Fatigue, lack of preparation or any number of factors could have caused their previous problems, but against No. 5 Wake Forest, the Terps were able to control the ball and dictate the pace against a high-powered opponent.

"We kind of joked about it and laughed about it," Pensky said. "But we said, ‘When we have the ball, they don't.'"

The Terps did struggle with possession early, as the Demon Deacons took an early 7-0 advantage on shots. But in the final 20 minutes of the first half, a period Pensky highlighted, the Terps outshot Wake Forest, 6-0.

Pensky said the Terps had the "better of the play" for the majority of the second half, and the stat sheet showed it: The Terps took 11 shots to Wake Forest's three.

Although no goals came out of the Terps' 19 shots in the game, the ability to control the tempo of a game against a top-tier opponent bodes well for the Terps as they move forward.

HOME STRETCH

Entering Saturday night's game, the Terps were locked in a fifth-place tie in the ACC with No. 16 Virginia. But as the Terps earned another tie, the Cavaliers pulled out a 4-3 win in overtime versus No. 13 Florida State.

With the win, Virginia took sole control of fifth place and gained ground on No. 10 North Carolina and No. 7 Boston College, which are tied for third. The Terps, meanwhile, fell to sixth place, two points behind the Cavaliers.

The Terps still have four of their most difficult games remaining on their schedule, but those games could be coming at just the right time.

"We had a nice eight-day break that was very needed," forward Jasmyne Spencer said Saturday. "We played great, and everyone thinks we played great tonight so our spirits are still high, and we're going to keep plugging away as we go through the final stretch."

If the season were to end today, the Terps would be the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament and would face No. 3 seed Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The league's top four seeds host first-round games before the ACC Tournament begins in Cary, N.C., meaning the Terps need to make a run to avoid leaving the friendly confines of Ludwig Field for a trip out of state.

The Terps face an uphill battle, with three of their final four games on the road and a four-point deficit in the standings separating them from the Tar Heels and Eagles. To bring the ACC Tournament to Ludwig Field, where the Terps are 5-1-3 on the year, they'll have to do it away from home.

"PRETTY IN PINK"

As sports teams at all different levels don pink for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Terps did their part Saturday night. The game was designated a "Power In Pink" game, part of an Under Armour program to celebrate cancer survivors. The Terps also partnered with Headers For Hope, which honors people diagnosed with cancer.

The Terps sported pink jerseys and socks along with other accessories, and Pensky said the event provided perspective for his team. He spoke afterward of how there is so much more to life than soccer, and despite the Terps' struggles, he likes them to know there are greater ones out there.

"I love being pretty in pink and I'm glad we're playing for all the victims of breast cancer, so it's nice to represent all the victims of breast cancer while we're playing," defender Skyy Anderson said. "It's good to look cute and play hard at the same time."

dgallen@umdbk.com