Wagner's Double

Although we have gone to a number of games over the last week, I wanted to get to another Maryland women's soccer game before the season closed. 

I made it to the Towson match and while Towson has really struggled this season, Maryland was impressive.  The thing that stuck with me the most from that game was the play of senior Olivia Wagner, who scored a pair of goals and added an assist.

Maryland was not as impressive tonight against a very talented Virginia side.  The Cavaliers bossed much of the game and the normally solid Domenica Hodak got blitzed by the Wahoos attack.  Virginia outshot Maryland 15 to 9 and won 5 corners versus just one for the Terps (taken by Ms. Wagner after a slight distraction from a precocious four-year old).  Yet, against the run of play, two free kicks from Olivia Wagner delivered victory to a surging Maryland team. 

The Terps are halfway through the conference season and have now run their record to 4 wins -- including victories over North Carolina and Virginia -- and 1 tie.  They've already equaled their conference win total from last season (4-4-2) and it is the first time in the 26 year history of women's soccer at Maryland that a team has started this well.  The team's best conference mark, reached in 2010, of 7-2-1 is conceivably in play, although three of the final five conference games are on the road (at Va. Tech Sunday, at N.C. State the next Sunday, and at Boston College) and Maryland will close the regular season against a terrific Florida State squad.