COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Haley McWhirter and Ariane Haysman Boaler scored goals and Oregon’s defense held Maryland to just one shot in the second half as the Ducks shutout the Terrapins, 2-0, Sunday at Ludwig Field.
It was the first Big Ten win for Oregon, which improved to 5-5 on the season and 1-2 in conference play.
The Ducks limited Maryland to five shots for the game, a season-low for an Oregon opponent, and Maddy Goldberg made two saves in picking up her fourth shutout of the season.
“Really proud of the way we responded to Thursday night,” said coach Graeme Abel, whose team rebounded from a 3-0 loss at Rutgers. “We had some pieces we had to move around but we had a real team mentality all round to make it work.”
How It Happened: Oregon went on the attack from the opening kick. In the fourth minute, Taylor Bryan found Lauren Kenny open in front of Maryland’s goal but her try from seven yards out went just wide of the right post. But that effort set the tone for the match.
After Goldberg made a point-blank save in the 22nd minute to keep Maryland (3-5-3, 0-3-0) off the scoreboard, Oregon’s offense broke through.
Cameron Bourne brought the ball up the middle of the field through traffic and delivered a crisp pass to McWhirter on the right side. McWhirter cleared a defender to create a shooting lane and fired a shot into the upper left corner of the net for a 1-0 Duck lead.
“We started the game on the front foot and were able to gain momentum with the first goal,” said Abel.
Haysman Boaler’s first career goal gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead in the 63rd minute. Sydney Hennessey sent a high pass into the penalty area from well up the field. McWhirter got a foot to it and popped it into the open area just behind Maryland’s back line where Haysman Boaler finished with a one-timer from five yards out.
That was more than enough for Oregon’s defense, which kept Maryland from pressuring Goldberg for most of the second half. The Terrapins’ only shot in the period, which was blocked by the Ducks’ defense, came in the 86th minute.
“We changed a couple of pieces throughout the game in order to give us more stability and we adjusted extremely well,” said Abel.
McWhirter and Kenny led the Ducks with two shots each.
Notable: The win was the Ducks’ first road victory since defeating Utah, 1-0, Oct. 6, 2022, in Salt Lake City. … McWhirter’s goal was her third of the season and 17th of her collegiate career, while her assist was the third of the season and 12th career. … McWhirter took over the team lead in points with nine (three goals, three assists). … Bourne’s assist was her first of the season and second career, while Hennessey notched her second helper of 2024 and fourth career. … Goldberg now has 143 career saves and is seven back of eighth place (150, Cody Miles, 2008-10) on the UO career list. … It was Goldberg’s fifth career shutout, which moved her ahead of Domenique Lainez (2001-05) for seventh on the UO career list. … This was the first meeting between Oregon and Maryland.
Quotable:
Head Coach Graeme Abel on the Ducks’ first Big Ten win
“We feel good about getting on the board in the conference and now look forward to next weekend.”
Up Next: Oregon returns to Eugene to host Indiana (Thursday, 7 p.m.) and Purdue (Sept. 29, 1 p.m.).
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