The Terrapins women’s soccer team enters halftime of its Sweet 16 matchup with No. 2 seed Oklahoma State trailing, 1-0, after a goal in the fourth minute by Cowgirls midfielder Annika Niemeier.

The Terps had a chance to get the goal back three minutes later after midfielder Danielle Hubka was fouled from behind in the box, but midfielder Ashley Grove’s penalty kick was stopped by Cowgirls goalkeeper Adrianna Franch.

The Terps made a late push in the first half, including an opportunity from midfielder Olivia Wagner in the last 10 seconds of play, but came up empty. The Cowgirls are outshooting the Terps, 11-8, with a 4-1 advantage on shots on goal. That one shot on goal for the Terps was Grove’s penalty kick.

While the Terps are getting great individual efforts from certain players — Grove, Hubka, midfielder Domenica Hodak stand out — the team effort from Friday against Auburn has been missing. The Terps are having trouble maintaining possession, and the passing is off today. The Terps play is similar to their Oct. 23 loss at Duke and their Oct. 30 loss at Virginia.

The Terps have two come from behind wins on the year. They fell behind early on Sept. 18 against Virginia Tech and Oct. 27 against North Carolina, but scored second half goals to pull out 2-1 victories. Both of those games, however, were in the comfort of Ludwig Field. The Terps’ have struggled on the road, posting a 4-4-1 record, and haven’t come back from behind away from home.

In about two hours, the Terrapins women’s soccer team will take on No. 2 seed Oklahoma State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in Stillwater, Okla. A berth in the Elite Eight is on the line, and it would be the furthest the Terps have ever advanced in the tournament.

On paper, Oklahoma State, which was ranked No. 4 in the last NSCAA Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the last RPI rankings, has put together an impressive resume on the year. The Cowgirls are 21-1-2 and captured their fourth straight Big 12 regular season championship. The team didn’t lose its first game until the Big 12 Championship Game, where Texas A&M scored with nine seconds left in a 1-0 contest.

In the first round of the tournament, Oklahoma State beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the SWAC champions, by a score of 9-1, outshooting the overmatched opponent, 44-11, including a 24-6 margin of shots on goal. On Friday, hours after the Terps advanced by beating No. 3 seed Auburn, 1-0, the Cowgirls advanced by defeating Illinois, 1-0. Oklahoma State was outshot, 18-12, but a goal in the 24th minute by midfielder Annika Niemeier provided the difference.

While Oklahoma State’s numbers look impressive, its schedule is not as impressive as it could have been. The Cowgirls played only eight games against teams in the top 50 of the RPI. Their opponents’ average rank in RPI was 86. The Terps, however, played 13 games against the top 50 in the RPI, including nine games against the top 25, and had opponents with an average rank of 71.

The Cowgirls also boast deep talent reserves. Goalkeeper Adrianna Franch has allowed only five goals in 18 games and posted 11 shutouts. Five Cowgirls have scored five or more goals, led by midfielder/forward Taylor Mathews with nine.

The key to the game could be Niemeier. The sixth-year senior was Oklahoma State’s leading scorer in 2009 before suffering a serious knee injury in 2010. The coaching staff has been easing her back in and she appears to have come on strong of late, scoring three goals in the tournament. Terps midfielder Domenica Hodak appears to have another difficult task on her hands, but the junior was able to send a talented midfielder, Auburn’s Katy Frierson, home with a blank stat sheet.

The campus of Oklahoma State is in an emotional state currently, following the death of the women’s basketball coach and an assistant. Terps midfielder Becky Kaplan said after Friday’s game that the Terps are expecting a very loud crowd at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex.

The weather should not be as much of a factor as it was on Friday, when the Terps were buffeted by 30 mph wind gusts throughout the game. Today, Weather.com says it should be 42-degrees with a chance of showers with winds from the north at 12 mph.

The winner of this game will play the winner of the 4 p.m. matchup between No. 1 seed Stanford and No. 4 seed Boston College.

In an upset, the Terrapins women’s soccer team defeated No. 3 seed Auburn, 1-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Stillwater, Okla.

Midfielder Becky Kaplan scored a goal in the 69th minute on a “perfect” play that provided the difference in a game that was a tale of two halves, thanks to the 30 mph wind gusts that plagued the game.

In the first half, the Terps were going into the wind. Goalkeeper Yewande Balogun’s goal kicks would die before midfield, giving Auburn multiple chances to make runs. The Terps struggled to break into the Auburn zone, but were able to generate opportunities when they did, taking six shots in the first half. Auburn took seven in the half.

In the second half, the Terps outshot the Tigers, 12-4, and one shot made all the difference. Forward Sade Ayinde played the ball to the endline on the left side that forward Ashley Grove picked up. With strong wind at her back, Grove played a cross with her left foot in front of the goal. Kaplan picked the ball out of the air and one-timed it to the back post past Auburn’s Amy Howard. And the Terps defense held for the rest of the game.

“It was a great goal, and the buildup in the possession was good,” coach Brian Pensky said. “Ashley Grove did tremendous with her cross. She really has to pull it back hard because the wind is blowing it 25 mph out for a goal kick.”

Auburn attempted to mount a counter attack through midfielder Katy Frierson, but the Terps defense, led by midfielder Domenica Hodak, stifled the star. Auburn’s best chance to tie the game came in the 76th minute when forward Tatiana Coleman got free and launched a shot on the ground toward the back post. Balogun dove and just knocked the ball wide.

“We really killed off the game well,” Pensky said. “Fifty percent was because we were good and 50 percent was because the wind was so deadly.”

The win sets up a matchup Sunday afternoon with No. 2 seed Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls defeated Illinois, 1-0. The winner advances to the Elite Eight and faces the winner of No. 1 seed Stanford and No. 4 seed Boston College.