(Image taken by Charlie DeBoyace, The Diamondback, www.diamondbackonline.com)

In the days and months that followed Maryland women’s soccer’s shocking elimination from the second round of the NCAA tournament, the accolades paying tribute to their historic regular season came pouring in one after another, perhaps making the nausea of their postseason shortcomings all the worse.

The number-one seeded Terrapins (18-2-3), a Final Four favorite, lost in a shootout to unseeded Georgetown (15-7-2) on Nov. 14, 2010, denying head coach Brian Pensky’s team a trip to the sweet sixteen.

Five days later, senior Caitlin McDowell was named to ESPN’s Academic All-America second team and junior Jasmyne Spencer was recognized on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s “Team of the Season” third team.

Then, on Dec. 2, Spencer was named first team All-Southeast Region by the NSCAA, while McDowell made second team and sophomore Domenica Hodak made third team. Spencer also went on to be selected as a NSCAA All-American, the first Terp selected since 1996.

On Dec. 22, the team received perhaps its highest honor of the offseason when Soccer America named Pensky Women’s Coach of the Year.

McDowell, Yewande Balogun, Colleen Deegan and Molly Dreska capped the onslaught of awards on Feb. 24, 2011 when all four were honored on the All-ACC Academic Team. McDowell headlined the group as the ACC Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The team knew this level of recognition was on its way; their 2010 regular season had been the greatest in the history of the program. They defeated 20-time national champion North Carolina for the first time in program history. They defeated final four participant Boston College for the first time in program history. Jasmyne Spencer lit it up offensively with her second consecutive 10-goal season, while McDowell doubled her career assist total with a team-high 12. After opening the season in impressive fashion with an undefeated August and September, Pensky’s Terps went on to post the best winning percentage in program history (.848). They also won a program-record seven ACC contests.

More after the jump.

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Jasmyne Spencer umterps.com

A day after being named to the NSCAA’s All-Southeast Region first team, junior forward Jasmyne Spencer became the first Terp since 1996 to earn NSCAA All-American honors, being named to the fourth team.

Arguably Maryland’s best player this season, Spencer had 25 points on the year with 10 goals and five assists. The junior led the Terps to an 18-2-3 record that included a national ranking as high as #3 and the program’s first ever win against the North Carolina Tar Heels. She was also named to the All-ACC first team for the second straight year and was placed on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Team of the Season third team last month.

Maryland’s two other NSCAA All-American players included second teamer Kelly Amonte in 1993 and first teamer Erin Taylor in 1996.

Caitlin McDowell umterps.com

Three players on Maryland’s women’s soccer team were awarded for their outstanding performances throughout the season and earned national recognition by receiving All-Southeast Region honors from the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association America).

Forward Jasmyne Spencer earned first team honors after she scored 10 goals and 5 assists in leading Maryland to their first-ever #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The junior also earned first team All-ACC honors for the second straight year.

Senior Caitlin McDowell and sophomore Domenica Hodak were the two others to earn recognition. McDowell was placed on the second team after leading the Terps with 12 assists while Hodak made third team after starting on a dominant defense that gave up only 0.87 goals per game.

Women’s Soccer Writer

Sade Ayinde umterps.com

Topdrawersoccer.com has released their list of the Top 100 women’s upperclassmen in the nation, and it includes Maryland junior forwards Jasmyne Spencer and Sade Ayinde.

Spencer moves up 16 spots to the #17 position after previously being ranked #33. She was named an All-ACC forward for the second straight season.

Junior Sade Ayinde finds herself on the list for the first time, ranked #76 in the nation. She is second on the team with eight goals and earned national recognition as ACC Player of the Week for her two goal performance in leading the Terps to their first win over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Women’s Soccer Writer

Jasmyne Spencer umterps.com

While earning a #1 seed for the ACC Tournament would have been preferred, the Maryland Terrapins are more than happy to have locked up the #2 seed, setting them up for an opening round matchup against the seventh seeded Duke Blue Devils Wednesday afternoon.

This is the second time in the program’s history that the Lady Terps have earned the #2 seed in the tournament. The last time was in 1999, and that team faced Duke as well, winning 2-1.

Maryland (15-2-1, 7-2-1 ACC) is coming off a dominant win over Miami in the regular season finale and is coming to Cary, N.C as one of the hottest teams in the nation. They’re riding a three-game winning streak, including two monster wins over top ten teams in UNC (#1 overall seed) and Florida State (#4 seed).

The Terps have won this year thanks to a balanced attack that ranks third in the ACC with 2.50 goals per game and are second in assists (2.83). The attack is led by Jasmyne Spencer (9 goals), Sade Ayinde (8) and Ashley Grove (8). Yet, the defense isn’t slacking either for the Terrapins; they’re fourth in the conference in goals allowed with 0.94 per game. Goalie Yewande Balogun has been solid for the Terps and continues to impress.

However, Duke (10-6-3, 4-5-1 ACC) is a team that could derail the Terps’ storybook season. The Blue Devils handed Maryland their only tie of the year, a double overtime 1-1 score at Ludwig Field in September.

Duke comes into the tournament 3-1 in their last four games, with their loss coming from in-state rival UNC. While their record isn’t indicative of their strong attack, the Devils can score. They are second in the ACC for shots per game with 18.42 and are right behind Maryland in goals per game with 2.22. Freshman forward Laura Weinberg leads the team with nine goals.

The winner of this game will play the winner of the No. 3 seed Virginia/No. 6 seed Boston College match, a game that will be played at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Maryland’s Record: (15-2-1, 7-2-1 ACC)

Opponent’s Record: (10-6-3, 4-5-1 ACC)

Time: 5:00 pm ET

Location: Cary, N.C

Coverage: http://www.theacc.com/championships/ Gametracker

Prediction: This will be a tough matchup for the Terps and potential trap. But coming into the tournament so hot gives them an upper hand. History repeats itself and Maryland wins a close one 2-1 with Jasmyne Spencer and Sade Ayinde scoring.

Women’s Soccer Writer

Brian Pensky umterps.com

Women’s Soccer Writer

Jasmyne Spencer umterps.com

The #3 Maryland Terps downed the #9 ACC-leading Florida State Seminoles with two goals in the second half to earn a 2-1 win at Ludwig Field Thursday night.

Maryland (14-2-1, 6-2-1 ACC) came out the aggressor in the first half, outshooting the Seminoles 11 to 6 and holding a 3-2 advantage in corners. But FSU’s 10^th ranked goals per game defense held the half to a 0-0 tie.

Florida State’s (12-4-1, 6-2-1 ACC) patience paid off and scored in the opening minutes of the second half. Janice Cayman took a cross from the left side of the field from Casey Short in the 47^th minute and shot the one timer past Yewande Balogun for a 1-0 lead. It was Cayman’s 9^th goal of the season.

Eleven minutes later the Lady Terps produced an offensive spurt that won them the game.

Domenica Hodak, fresh off her one game suspension for a red card against Wake Forest, took a hard foul that set up a free kick in the 58^th minute. Colleen Deegan blasted the equalizer past Kelsey Wys to the left side for a 1-1 tie. It was her third on the year.

Three minutes later in the 61^st, team leader Jasmyne Spencer displayed nifty footwork, dribbling into the right side before finishing from 15 yards out on the left side of the goal for the game winner. It was Spencer’s 9th goal of the season, giving her sole possession as goal leader for the Terps.

The Seminoles managed to get off seven more shots, but none could be converted, and the Terrapins recorded their second top ten win in as many games. They have consecutively beaten the two top teams in the ACC standings.

This win strengthens their chances of bringing home an ACC regular season championship, with one regular season game remaining; a home matchup with Miami on Sunday Oct. 31. The Terps trail North Carolina by two points in the conference standings.

Player of the Game: Even thought Colleen Deegan scored the equalizer that shifted the Terps momentum towards a win, Jasmyne Spencer takes the award with her game winner in the 61^st minute. She accounted for six of the team’s fourteen shots.

Women’s Soccer Writer

Jasmyne Spencer umterps.com

After being on the road for so long, the Lady Terps were eager to put on a show for the home crowd at Ludwig Field.  Rocking their pink breast cancer awareness jerseys, the Terrapins beat the Clemson Tigers, 4-0.

Right from the start, Maryland controlled the game. They unleashed a multitude of corners and shots on Clemson (5-9, 0-6 ACC) before netting their first goal of the game in the 13^th minute. Senior Molly Dreska received a pass from Caitlin McDowell on the left side and took the shot from 18 yards out. The ball bounced off keeper Lauren Conrad’s hands and into the net for the goal.

Not one to be left out, Jasmyne Spencer scored her seventh goal of the season a minute later. Spencer sprinted past the Clemson defense up the right side and sent a bullet past Conrad into the left side of the net. Domenica Hodak was credited with the assist.

Maryland’s attack continued to pressure the weak Clemson defense, putting up seven shots and eight corners in the first half. The Tigers’ frustration showed in the 40^th minute when junior Sarah Jacobs was given a yellow card for a hard foul.

The Terps (12-1-1, 4-1-1 ACC) defense put on their own dominant performance to compliment the offense. They limited Clemson to two shots for the entire game and did not surrender a corner. Keeper Yewande Balogun had another easy night with two saves.

Despite the 2-0 lead, the home team continued an aggressive approach in the second half. Caitlin McDowell added her 3^rd goal of the season off crisp passes from Jasmyne Spencer and Skyy Anderson. McDowell sent a rocket four yards out from the left side that ricocheted off the left post for a goal in the upper right corner of the net.

Jasmyne Spencer scored her second goal of the night and 8^th of the season in the 80^th minute for the final goal of the game. She took a ball fed to her in the middle, redirected it to her left before finishing it to the right for the goal, capping an excellent all around game for the Terps.

Maryland is headed back on the road for a match up with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on October 21.

Player of the Game: Jasmyne Spencer has stormed back. She earns this award with her two-goal and one assist performance.

Women’s Soccer Writer

Jasmyne Spencer umterps.com

Physical and aggressive play defined this match. Perhaps caused by Athletic Director Debbie Yow’s departure from Maryland to NC State, there was obviously bad blood between the two teams, who combined for 20 fouls on the night.

The Terps (11-1-1, 3-1-1 ACC) controlled the tempo of the game early in the half, getting off shots from Danielle Hubka, Jasmyne Spencer and Ashley Grove. But N.C State settled and stifled Maryland’s attack to close out a scoreless first half.

The Terrapins, however, were determined to crack the Wolfpack defense. Within a span of ten minutes the Lady Terps forced Wolfpack goalie, Kim Kerns, to make three saves. Their persistence paid off in the 67^th minute.

Junior forward Jasmyne Spencer had been relatively quiet in the past few games. Today, she was able to make some noise. Spencer took a one-timer in front of the goal from defender Megan Gibbons for the eventual game winner. It was her sixth goal of the season.

N.C State (7-7-0, 1-4 ACC) grew more desperate by the minute and their aggressive approach backfired in the 80^th minute. Defender Alyson Santilli received a yellow card for her physical play signaling the frustration for the Wolfpack had reached its boiling point.

In the end Maryland’s attack proved to much for the N.C State defense, forcing Kerns into five saves. The Terps’ defense snuffed whatever Wolfpack attack there was and Terps keeper Yewande Balogun had any easy game with two saves.

The Lady Terps return home for a match up with the Clemson Tigers on Thursday night.

Photo from terrapintrail.com

Report from Jesse Yomtov, Terrapin Station contributor.

The Terps were able to finish their non-conference schedule undefeated, beating the George Mason Patriots in overtime Friday night.

About 10 minutes into the match, Patriots midfielder Omolyn Davis lined up for a free kick from about 40 yards out. Davis managed to sneak it through the congregation in front of the goal, and to the back post where it got past Maryland keeper Yewande Balogun, staking George Mason to an early 1-0 lead.

For the first 75 minutes of the match, Maryland looked lost. Sloppy midfield play was a motif, errant passes were bountiful and in general, the team just didn’t appear to be on the same page.

With about 20 minutes remaining, somebody must have flipped a switch because the Terps suddenly picked it up, and began applying all kinds of pressure on GMU keeper Alex Bodenschatz. On one sequence, the Terps fired three shots on target, the first ricocheting off the left post setting up two rebound opportunities, both of which Bodenschatz kept out of the net.

In the 75^th minute, junior Jasmyne Spencer fought off two defenders on her way into the box, shook them both with a beautiful inside the box, fired with her left and was denied by Bodenschatz. On her second chance, Bodenschatz again made the stop.

Five minutes later however, Spencer capitalized. Starting outside the box, she got the ball in on goal and Bodenschatz managed to get a hand on it, but it squirted loose inside the box. Spencer followed her shot, fought through three defenders and chipped in the equalizer.

The Terps had a few more opportunities before regulation ended, including an Ashley Grove just inside the box that forced Bodenschatz to make a diving stop on.

Four minutes into first overtime period, Colleen Deegan lobbed a ball over the Patriots defense and found Spencer making a well-timed run. With just the keeper to beat, Spencer was patient, waited for Bodenschatz to commit, and flicked in a shot just inside the right post to give the Terps the 2-1 victory.

#7/8 Maryland improves to 8-0-0, finishing off a perfect non-conference slate for the second consecutive year, while George Mason falls to 4-3-1.

The Terps get their ACC slate underway on Sunday the 27^th when they host Duke.

Player of the Game- Jasmyne Spencer, who knotted her fourth and fifth goals of the season. Battling a stomach bug and matched up against 6’0” defender Kelly Thomas, the 5’1” Spencer used her explosive speed to create a number of opportunities, eventually scoring the equalizer in the 80^th minute and then the winner in the 94^th.