Maryland women’s soccer outlasts Purdue, 2-1

A pair of Kelsey Smith crosses from deep in the box failed to find the cleats of any Maryland women’s soccer players. Another pair of her shots in the 62nd and 64th minutes were saved by Edwards.

But that second save proved to be Purdue’s demise. The resulting corner from Emily Lenhard was brilliantly headed in by Mckinley Heaven in the 65th minute. After a brief review, Heaven was awarded her second goal in as many contests to put the Terps up by one.

Lightning struck twice at Ludwig Field Sunday as Maryland women’s soccer defeated Purdue in a competitive, bloody, 2-1 win.

The Terps took the field ready for battle, huddling at midfield as Purdue walked out. Fresh off her breakout start against Indiana, Mckinley Heaven charged right out of the gate and drove into the offensive zone. However, no Maryland players were open for a cross.

Back and forth “bootball” play ensued as goalkeeper Emily Edwards continually punted the ball far past Purdue’s frontline to give Maryland possession.

Pushing and shoving soon began on both sides as several minor fouls were committed in midfield. Heading into the match, the Boilermakers had been assessed 17 yellow cards — they can quickly turn competitive matches into outright bloody ones. They had also baited their opponents into 11 yellows on the season, and were able to lure Maryland into a grudge match with their aggressive presence.

Purdue pressed into Maryland’s box in the 29th minute. Megan Cruz’s shot was just barely saved by Faith Luckey, stretching far to her left.

Seconds later, the Terps pressed back. As Ava Morales drove into the box, she was fouled hard and fell to the turf; the free kick was placed just outside the 18-yard box. Morales stepped up, and her left-footed shot was placed perfectly, curling right past the gloves of Edwards and into the nylon to give Maryland an early lead.

Purdue looked flustered in the following moments. Passes drifted off target and a deep shot from Cherry Yu was sent into the stratosphere. 

But the Boilermakers made a huge turnaround, and quickly. In the 40th minute, a shot from Emilia Deppe redirected off of Luckey directly to Irene Campo, who chipped it in and tied the match.

As the clock ticked down toward the half, the highly contested match remained a stalemate. Outshot 8-3, the Terps had much to improve upon from a very competitive first half.

Competitive play continued as the match resumed. Offside calls, free kicks and excessive jockeying set the tone for the beginning of the second half. A Purdue shot missed high once more from the right boot of Angelina Thoreson in the 53rd minute.

The heavy jockeying finally bubbled over in the 57th minute after a shove down the right sideline on Thoreson earned Delaney DeMartino her first yellow card of the season. 

Maryland’s second yellow of the game came just after Heaven’s goal, off an aggressive push from Taryn Raibon in the 72nd minute. Defender Gabriela Angulo held onto Raibon’s ankle as she attempted to pursue the ball and Raibon responded with a powerful push to the chest.

The cards continued to pile up as Alyssa Abramson tripped up a driving attacker on her way into the box. The resulting free kick sailed high of the goal.

Blood flowed in the 83rd minute after a midair collision between Heaven and Zoe Cuneio caused both players to tumble to the pitch. Heaven walked off the field holding a towel on her forehead while Cuneio was carted off to the locker room. After review, no foul was called on the play. 

Despite a multitude of shots in the last five minutes, Maryland was able to hold off the Boilermakers’ efforts and win its second match in a row.

Three things to know

1. Two in a row. After a strong first half, Maryland was able to stave off Purdue’s offensive efforts and clinch their second Big Ten win in a row, its first time accomplishing this feat since 2019. The triumphant victory showed plenty of promise as the Terps continue to climb the Big Ten rankings.

2. Breakout bangers. After two consecutive starts, Heaven has broken onto the scene delivering both go-ahead goals against Indiana and Purdue. Michael Marchiano gave her high praise postgame along with appreciation for her biblical performance.

“She’s obviously changed a lot in terms of goal production,” said Marchiano. “Hopefully we can have more of her impact and more goals to come from her.”
3. Offensive resurgence. The Terps have been able to accumulate two goals in each of their last two matches, a huge turnaround from the end of nonconference play. Maryland will look to keep its win streak alive as it travels to Los Angeles to play USC and UCLA.