COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Maryland women's soccer team will look to continue its two-match winning streak when No. 25 Pepperdine travels to College Park. Action will kickoff at 4 p.m. at Ludwig Field.
Setting the stage
What: Maryland vs. Pepperdine
Where: Ludwig Field
When: 4 p.m./Friday
TV/Stream: BTN Plus
Radio: WMUC
Live Stats: umterps.com
Twitter: @terpswsoccer
Instagram: @terpswsoccer
Terps Offense Comes Alive
Maryland has scored three goals in each of its last two games to move to sixth in the Big Ten in that category. For the season, the Terps have eight goals through four matches. It took Maryland eight matches to reach the eight-goal mark last season.
Harmony in Williamsburg
Sophomore forward Jarena Harmon leads the Big Ten and is tenth in the country with four goals so far this season. She sealed Maryland's win over Penn with a headed tally in the 70th minute and scored three goals against William & Mary, subsequently being named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
Harmon's hat trick was the first by a Maryland player since Hayley Brock tallied three goals against Villanova in 2013. Her six points was the most by a Big Ten player in a match this season.
Jackson pRoVIDES A Spark
Junior forward Chelsea Jackson has not missed a beat after transferring from Oklahoma, scoring goals against TCU. Jackson tallied on a headed effort to tie the match against TCU before sliding a right-footed tap in past the keeper against Gardner-Webb.
The Round Rock, Texas native's pair of goals is tied for second in the Big Ten and she has notched eight shots on the season, tied for fourth in the conference.
Leone returns home
Ray Leone is in his first season as Maryland head coach. The Severna Park, Md., native brings 20 years of experience as a college coach after nine years at Harvard, where he led the Crimson to five NCAA Tournament appearances and five Ivy League titles.
Leone has racked up 283 wins in his career, which ranks 21st among active Division I head coaches. In addition to Harvard, Leone has led Clemson, Arizona State and Creighton. He was a three-time all-conference selection as a player at Charlotte.
Leone earned the first win of his Maryland career against William & Mary on Aug. 25.
Turner, Phillips, egyed named big ten players to Watch
Maryland junior midfielder Madison Turner, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Egyed and sophomore Cassie Phillips were named Big Ten Players to Watch.
Turner started the opening four games for Maryland, playing all 390 minutes of action. A versatile player, she is equally adept at playing in defense or the midfield.
Phillips made an immediate impact in her first start of the season against Penn, scoring on a 35-yard blast that was ultimately the game winner. Phillips' effort was nominated for Top Drawer Soccer's National College Goal of the Week. It was the first goal of her career.
Egyed has been a part of a rotating cast of keepers for the Terps so far this season. She has made eight saves and earned one win.
Sensational seniors
Maryland will feature three seniors that return from the 2015 season; Natasha Ntone-Kouo, Hope Gouterman and Lisa Bianchini. After playing her first three seasons between midfield and forward, Ntone-Kouo started the opening four games in the center of defense.
Gouterman also started the first four games and has played every minute, while Bianchini ranks third on the team with six shots.
terps add six freshmen
Maryland add six freshman after the graduation of 10 seniors in 2015. Former USA U-18 National Team call up Jlon Flippens headlines the group. The Philadelphia native ended her prep career with 92 goals, a William Penn Charter School record. She started in the back in Maryland's first four games and has logged two assists off free kicks.
Hannah Hoefs and Niven Hegeman were both local standouts at Linganore and Mountain Ridge respectively. Hoefs was a two-time Maryland All-State selection while Hegeman received that honor in 2015.
Lauren Frank helped Hebron High School win a Texas State Championship in 2014, while Julia New led The First Academy to six straight district titles in Orlando, Fla. New Jersey native Kate Swetz rounds out the group after winning the 2015 ECNL National Championship with her club team PDA.
Maryland's class is spread throughout the country, with six players representing five states (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, New Jersey).
Transfer terps
The Terrapins will feature six transfers who will look to bolster the squad in 2016. The Maryland attack will now see Jarena Harmon, who scored seven goals at Pittsburgh last season, try and lead the line. In addition, Oklahoma transfer Chelsea Jackson, owner of five assists and two goals in two seasons as a Sooner, is another option up front for the Terps.
Former Northern Illinois player Marisa Knott can play a variety of positions after playing in 28 games in two years for the Huskies. She started the first three games at left back. Maryland native Jenna Surdick started 13 games last season at Coastal Carolina.
Between the sticks, the arrival of Katelyn Jensen and Stephanie Senn bolsters Maryland's depth. Jensen had a standout freshman campaign at Kentucky while Senn is an experienced hand after starting 60 games over three seasons at Kent State. Both have seen action already this season.
two-sport star
Senior Emily Kift will make her first appearance in a Maryland women's soccer uniform this weekend after joining the team after three years with the national championship winning women's lacrosse team.
Kift has played 21 games in goal for head coach Cathy Reese's squad and captured two national championships. The Santa Ana, California native will spend the fall at Ludwig Field before returning to lacrosse in the spring.
