Terrapin womens soccer player Jasmyne Spencer has opened the 2009 season on a tear and today was no different against Fordham.
The sophomore out of Bay Shore, N.Y., scored the only two goals of the day for the Terps as they went on to beat the Rams, 2-1. The Terps (2-0) have back-to-back wins to begin the season for the first time since 2002, when they defeated Towson and Duke.
“It feels great,” coach Brian Pensky said. “Our soccer and finishing has been good. Today was more about guts and determination. We’ve had four games in ten days, including preseason, and this was Fordham’s first game. We didn’t let up.”
The wins can mostly be attributed to the scoring outburst of Spencer. The forward, who scored her first career goal in the season opener against Army Friday, was able to separate herself from the defense to break the game open with a goal in the 29th minute.
“Spencer has been terrific,” Pensky said. “She had a very good preseason and is a constant threat. She has the ability to change the game in a second. The kid has a ton of heart and determination.”
Early in the second half Fordham was able to tie the score up at one with a goal by Brittany Hogan. Only 26 seconds later, Spencer came through once again. Using her speed, Spencer broke free from the defense to score the decisive goal after the goalkeeper fell to the ground leaving an open net.
Terps goalkeeper Mary Casey made four stops on the afternoon, while the defense held the Rams to six shots overall. Meanwhile, the Terps offense continued to find success, finishing with 11 shots. Sophomore Ashley Groves assisted on both scoring plays today and has three assists overall on the year.
“We’re going to keep getting better in terms of our discipline on both sides of the ball,” Pensky said. “Today the heat set in a bit and we lost our discipline. But the mentality of our team is outstanding right now.”
The Terps will start practice back up Tuesday in preparation for their home opener on Friday night. The Terps face the Seton Hall Pirates at 7 p.m. at Ludwig Field.
Chris Eckard is The Diamondback’s womens soccer beat reporter. He can be reached at eckarddbk@gmail.com