Maryland Hits the Road for Matchup with Michigan State

Maryland (3-3-5) at Michigan State (7-2-2)

September 28, 2023

DeMartin Soccer Complex

7:00 p.m.

B1G+

COLLEGE PARK, MD - Maryland heads on the road after a pair of home conference matches to face Michigan State. The Terrapins are coming off a 1-0 loss at the hands of Ohio State on Sunday.

The game will air on B1G+.

The game was scoreless for 89 minutes, until Ohio State scored a late goal with 42 seconds left in the match. Liz Beardsley had another strong game for Terps on Sunday, with eight saves for the second time in her last three games.

Series History - Michigan State

The Terrapins and the Spartans have met on nine separate occasions, with the Spartans holding a slight edge in the matchup with a 3-2-3 record.
The Terrapins' two wins in the series both came via a 1-0 score line. The last win for the Terrapins came in 2019, with the Terps getting the win in East Lansing. Loren Sefcik scored the winning goal for the Terps, via a double assist from Alyssa Poarch and Malikae Dayes. Erin Seppi was in goal for the Terps in the game and helped lead them to the shutout with a four-save effort.

Midfielder Loren Sefcik (16). Maryland Terrapins Women's Soccer vs. Richmond Spiders on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2021.

The last time the Terps got a win over Michigan State was back in 2019. Loren Sefcik scored the deciding goal for the Terps in the 1-0 win in East Lansing.

Last Time Out

The Terrapins hosted the Buckeyes in their second-straight Big Ten home conference match, with the Terps held scoreless in a 1-0 defeat.
Liz Beardsley had eight saves in the match, which is the second time in the last three games that the junior goalkeeper has had eight saves in the match. Beardsley is the first Maryland goalkeeper to have eight or more saves in two games in a single season since Liz Brucia in 2021.
The first opportunity for the Terps came in the 43rd minute, with Lauren Wrigley getting the ball on frame that required a save from the Ohio State keeper.
The next huge chance for the Terps came in the 71st minute, as Kennedy Bell ripped a shot at goal that needed to be parried away by the goalkeeper.
Ohio State's goal came with 42 seconds left in the second half. The midfielder took a right-footed shot from just inside the box. The shot took a deflection and went into the back of the net.

Liz Beardsley' had her second eight save effort in Sunday's meeting with Ohio State. This was the junior goalkeeper's second eight save performance in her last three games.

Brilliance Between The Sticks

So far this year the Terps have kept six clean sheets, which is the most for the team since 2014. One of the main contributors to that stat this year for the Terps has been transfer goalkeeper Liz Beardsley.
Beardsley has been in goal for all six shutouts this season. That number leads the Big Ten and is tied for the fourth-most in the nation.
Beardsley is the first Maryland goalkeeper with six shutouts in a season since Rachelle Beanlands had six shutouts in 2014. Beardsley's six shutouts this year also ties Beardsley's career-high, with the junior having six shutouts during 2022.
Beardsley also has made eight saves in two of her last three games in goal. This marks the first time a Maryland goalkeeper has had eight saves or more twice in a season since 2021.

Goalkeeper Liz Beardsley (17) UMD Women's Soccer vs. Towson at Ludwig Field in College Park, MD on Sunday, Sep. 3, 2023. Chris Lyons/Maryland Terrapins

Liz Beardsley has been strong for the Terrapins in goal this season. Beardsley is the first Maryland goalkeeper since Rachelle Beanlands in 2014 to have six shutouts in a single season. Beardsley has also had eight saves in two of her last three games, which makes her the first Maryland keeper since Liz Brucia to have eight or more saves twice in a season.

Terps in The National Rankings

The Terrapins are one of the more disciplined teams in the nation, averaging 6.73 fouls per game. That mark is the 31st-fewest in the nation and the second-best mark in the Big Ten.
The Terrapins have six shutouts on the year, giving them a shutout percentage of .545. That number puts the Terps in the top-50 nationally in the stat. The Terps are also rank in the top-25 in shutouts nationally with the six they've had on the season.
Freshman Maddie Krakower has been one of the more accurate players in the nation, with a shot accuracy of 0.63. That mark puts her in the top-30 in the nation, while also ranking as the second-best mark within the Big Ten.

Catherine DeRosa

Scouting the Spartans

The Spartans come into the weekday match up with a 7-2-2 record overall. Michigan State is coming off a pair of win last week over Minnesota (3-1) and Wisconsin (1-0), with both games coming on the road.
The Spartans are led offensively by Bella Najera, who leads the team with five goals and 11 points to this point in the season. Followed closely behind is Jordyn Wickes who is second on the team in goals with four. Justina Gaynor leads the team with six assists on the year, and pairs that number with two goals. Emerson Sargeant is second on the team with four assists and also has three goals of her own.
In goal Michigan State is led by Kaitlyn Parks, who has 24 saves this season and has a GAA of 0.88 through 11 games. Parks had nine saves for the Spartans in a match against Ohio State on Sept. 17, which is tied for the most in the conference so far this season.