MADISON, Wisc. – A header by Kodee Williams off of a corner kick in the 104th minute proved to be the difference as No. 12 Wisconsin pulled out a 1-0 win in the second overtime over the University of Maryland women's soccer team Sunday afternoon at the McClimon Soccer Complex.
The loss drops the Terrapins to 5-6-6 on the season and 3-4-5 in the Big Ten. The Badgers improve to 15-2-1 overall and 9-2-1 in the conference.
Neither team could muster many quality opportunities as Maryland and Wisconsin have two of the staunchest defenses in the Big Ten.
The Terrapins generated some good looks, but those didn't always translate to shots on goal against the Badgers.
Maryland earned an early corner kick and junior Shannon Collins delivered a good service into the box from the left corner, but Wisconsin keeper Genevieve Richard rose up over the crowd and grabbed the ball out of the air.
Redshirt sophomore Gabby Galanti tested Richard from distance in the 38th minute, but the Badger keeper was in good position to make the save.
Maryland controlled the run of play for much of the second half, but couldn't solve Wisconsin's defense.
A nifty give-and-go between sophomore Natasha Ntone-Kouo and junior Alex Doody looked to create a chance in the 51st minute, but three Wisconsin defenders collapsed on Ntone-Kouo before the chance could materialize.
The Terrapins had an opportunity in the 55th minute thanks to a fortuitous bounce. Junior Sarah Fichtner got through a couple of Badgers and let loose with a shot from 20 yards out, but it went straight into the chest of a Badger defender. The ball bounced out to the left where junior Aubrey Baker was able to run onto it and rip a shot from 25 yards out, but once again Richard was there for the save.
Galanti continued to make things happen in the 63rd minute when she was taken down just outside of the penalty area to set up a free kick. Collins stepped up to the ball, but her try was knocked down by the Wisconsin wall and cleared away.
Maryland had one final chance in regulation when a rare defensive slip by the Badgers gave junior Riley Barger a clean look from 24 yards out, but her try with the clock winding down went outside of the left post.
The Terrapins took the Badgers into the second overtime thanks in large part to the effort of junior keeper Rachelle Beanlands, who finished the day with seven saves.
Beanlands began the game with two big stops in the first 32 minutes. The first came following a Maryland turnover that went to Kodee Williams who tested Beanlands from just outside the 18 in the 15th minute. The second came off of a corner kick in the 32nd when Alexis Tye got on the end of a service with a solid header, but Beanlands read the chance from the start and was well positioned for the save.
Beanlands made another big stop in the first overtime period to send it into the second OT. Beanlands came off of her line when a 50-50 ball bounced inside the right side of the Maryland penalty area. Realizing she couldn't get to the ball in time, Beanlands quickly retreated back to her line and recovered enough to turn aside a shot from Wisconsin's Kinley McNicoll in the 95th minute.
The match was the eighth overtime contest of the season for the Terps, which ties the all-time record for overtime games in a season with the 2004 and 2007 teams.
The Terrapins wrap up their regular season slate on Thursday, Oct. 30 at No. 7 Penn State. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at Jeffrey Field and will be streamed on BTN Plus.
