Early Red Card Proves Costly in 3-1 Loss to Florida

COLLEGE PARK, MD – The Terps (4-2) fell to the the Florida Gators (3-2) 3-1 on Sunday afternoon as Ludwig Field drew 1,008 fans for Youth Day / Picnic in the Park. Tahirah Turnage-Morales’ first-career goal looked to spark a Maryland comeback, but the Gators outlasted the Terps despite Maryland’s six shots on goal.

Florida struck first in the 14th minute. A header from Lauren McCloskey found Florida’s Charlotte McClure, who put the match’s first goal home.

Maryland’s Mia Mitchell was sent off with a red card in the 26th minute, forcing the Terps to play with one fewer player for the remainder of the match and a trait that often leads to defeat. Still, Maryland forced the Gators’ goalkeeper to make three saves in the first half and five overall.

Florida scored again in the 52nd minute on a penalty shot from Addy Hess to double the Gators’ lead. Maryland’s Turnage-Morales responded eight minutes later with her first goal of the season and Kelsey Smith picked up her second assist of the season to trim the deficit.

57′ | GOOOAAALLLLL

Tahirah gets her first of the season with the assist from Kelsey

Terps 1, Florida 2 pic.twitter.com/DdGwCHUAde

— Maryland W. Soccer (@TerpsWSoccer) August 31, 2025

A late Gators goal from Hess iced the match. Florida held on to earn its third win of the season as Maryland was defeated at home for the first time in 2025. 

How it Happened:

• Florida recorded the match’s first shot in the third minute. 
• Ellie Egeland recorded Maryland’s first shot in the seventh minute. 
• Faith Luckey made her first save in the 10th minute. 
• Florida scored in the 14th minute a shot from McClure. 
• Mitchell was sent off in the 26th minute with a red card.
• The Gators scored their second goal of the match in the 52nd minute on a penalty shot. 
• Maryland’s Tahirah Turnage-Morales scored her first goal of the season in the 60th minute. 
• Hess scored her second goal of the second half in the 80th minute.

Numbers to Know:

• 3: Egeland led the Terps with three shots (two on goal). 
• 6: Six of Maryland’s eight shots were on goal. 
• 8: Luckey made eight saves on Sunday.
• 8: Smith leads the Terps with eight points on the season.
• 1,008: Ludwig Field drew 1,008 fans on Saturday to watch Terrapin soccer. 

Marchiano’s Message:

• “To have a red card so early is hard. Whether I agree or disagree with it doesn’t really matter. We put ourselves in a situation for that to happen. It’s disappointing for us to have to go down to 10 players when playing a good opponent.”

Up Next:

• Maryland takes to the road for a meeting at James Madison on Sept. 4. The match will start at 6 PM and air on ESPN+.