No. 19 Maryland men’s soccer head coach Sasho Cirovski’s team will head north to take on Northwestern for its third Big Ten game of the season.
The Terps enter the matchup as a top-25 team in the nation, as they earned their first ranking of the year following victories over Indiana and then-No. 8 Wisconsin.
Maryland will look to defend and improve upon its ranking, but, more importantly, get its third straight victory to open conference play. The game will kick off 8 p.m. EST and air on Big Ten Plus.
Northwestern Wildcats (5-3-0, Big Ten 0-2-0)
The Wildcats opened their season with five straight nonconference games, and five straight impressive results, which earned them the No. 20 spot in the national rankings entering Big Ten play. The start of conference play brought the team down a notch, though, as it began the Big Ten season with consecutive losses to UCLA and Washington.
Maryland will head to Evanston, Ill., and try to hand the Wildcats, who are led by fourth-year head coach Russell Payne, their third-straight defeat.
Like most Big Ten opponents, Payne’s team found success against the Terps in 2023, defeating them, 2-0, at Ludwig Field.
Players to Watch
Italo Addimandi, sophomore forward, No. 23 — Despite being on the field for only 35% of Northwestern’s season thus far, Addimandi leads the team in points (4). He’s recorded two assists and a goal, all coming in the first three games of the year.
Nigel Prince, junior defender, No. 12 — If you have tuned into a Northwestern soccer game at any point over its last two seasons, you are basically guaranteed to find Prince anchoring the team’s defense. He is one of the best defenders in the conference, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors, as well as making the Big Ten All-Tournament team in 2023.
Joe Suchecki, graduate midfielder, No. 8 — Suchecki’s name may sound familiar to faithful Maryland soccer supporters. The midfielder spent four years in College Park as a rotational player. At Northwestern, he’s found more consistent playing time as a starting midfielder, even scoring in the team’s season opener.
Strength
Defense. Peters’ Northwestern teams have been characterized by consistent, solid defensive units. The Wildcats have given up multiple goals in just six of their previous 25 games, dating back to the start of 2023, and have given up more than three goals just once. Keeper Rafael Ponce de León has 14 saves this season, and plays behind one of the best back fours in the conference.
Weakness
Offense. The Terps haven’t had an opponent this year with a more clear-cut set of strengths and weaknesses than the Wildcats. As good as Northwestern has been at the back, it has been equally poor going forward. The offensive struggles have worsened recently, with the team scoring just once in its last four games.
Three things to watch
1. Who will strike first? Both the Terps and Wildcats have impressive defenses, making it very likely the team to score first walks away with a win. If Maryland can find a first-half goal, like it did against Wisconsin and Indiana, it could propel them to a victory.
2. Can Maryland avenge another loss? Cirovski and his team have dubbed 2024 their “revenge season” after their historically bad 2023. They have already successfully avenged two of last season’s conference losses, and will go for a third straight against the Wildcats.
2. Masereka’s impact. When many Terps fans got their first look at transfer winger Sadam Masereka early in the season, it seemed he would be one of the team’s most impactful players going forward. He has been a bit disappointing, though, as beyond his lightning-fast speed, he hasn’t proved to be much of a goal scoring or playmaking threat.
But in Maryland’s last game against Indiana, the team seemed to be making more of an effort to get him the ball in space, and Masereka almost notched his first goal of the season. Whether this trend will continue and he can add another dimension to Maryland’s offense will be something to keep note of.
