Illinois forward Cayla Jackson maneuvered towards the middle and hit a shot past diving goalkeeper Faith Luckey. Jackson was swarmed with hugs and the Fighting Illini’s bench jumped in ecstasy — all while Luckey laid on the ground.

Jackson’s shot in the 84th minute sealed Illinois’ 2-1 win over Maryland women’s soccer on Sunday at Ludwig Field. The Terps were outshot by 13 and dropped their third straight match.

“We didn’t play well enough today to win the game … and probably not even to draw,” coach Michael Marchiano said.

The Terps (6-7, 2-4 Big Ten) entered their sixth match of conference play after a pair of losses against California teams last weekend. Following the defeats, coach Michael Marchiano said he was encouraging players to focus on “one game at a time” to remain competitive against top programs.

The Fighting Illini (10-3-1, 3-2-1 Big Ten) entered off a shutout loss to Ohio State, though they recently won a high-scoring match against Penn State — which beat Maryland 4-0 earlier this season.

The Terps looked to control pace throughout. Defenders notably took their time after receiving the ball to assess the pitch and control game-flow.

[Maryland women’s soccer notebook: Faith Luckey hasn’t received much help in Big Ten play]

This strategy was likely part of Marchiano’s goal to calibrate team energy and operate as a unit. But after halftime, a hiccup in defensive coordination allowed Illinois forward Emma Yee to connect with a pass in front of the net to score only one minute into the latter half.

“I think our girls had moments of aggression as well, but we lost a little bit of control in the second half,” Marchiano said. “And some of that was technical, some of that was tactical, and some of that is, you’re playing against a good team and so that’s going to happen.”

The unusual October heat made energy difficult to maintain for Maryland, who frequently subbed out players on offense. Seconds after hitting the field in the second half, Maryland midfielder Ellie Egeland sustained an injury that forced her to be escorted off the field.

The Terps’ largest opportunities came on breakaways, with the signature speed and athleticism of players like forwards Kelsey Smith and Mckinley Heaven and midfielder Ava Morales pushing them past Illinois defenders.

[Maryland football continues post-bye week woes, implodes in 24-20 loss to Washington]

Maryland — which notched only four goals across its past five matches and was shutout in consecutive contests — broke through in the 25th minute when Morales scored.

The goal was Morales’ fourth goal, tying the senior with Smith for the team’s lead.

Illinois played with aggression and energy that carried from the bench to the pitch. This style of play had referees’ whistles blowing frequently — five offsides were called and a yellow card was administered to midfielder Ashley Stellon for a rough play against Heaven.

The Terps committed a penalty on Illinois in the box. Goalkeeper Faith Luckey made a crucial save on the initial kick and the rebound with ease, after penalty kicks hurt Maryland in its recent loss to USC.

But Luckey came up just short on her attempt to save Jackson’s game-winner, sealing the Terps’ loss in a second half that they were dominated in.

“If we reflect holistically, we probably deserved to concede,” Marchiano said.