Maryland men’s soccer head coach Sasho Cirovski called his team’s rivalry with Virginia the best in college soccer.
Both teams’ desire to hand the other a defeat during their Labor Day matchup certainly demonstrated that, although neither could achieve their goal, mustering a 1-1 draw in a game that had just six combined shots on net.
“I was very pleased with the way we played and I thought we maybe deserved a bit more from the game,” Cirovski said, “but that was two proud teams battling it and maybe a tie ends up being a fair result.”
The game’s first 20 minutes passed without either team’s goalie facing a true test.
Despite the lack of shots on target, Cirovski’s starting 11 held the bulk of possession, occasionally penetrating dangerous positions within Virginia’s 18-yard box.
At the other end, Maryland’s back line rendered the Cavaliers’ offense ineffective, generating no shots on target and two corner kicks in the game’s first 45 minutes.
The contest’s first shot on frame came from Terps’ forward Colin Griffith. It was a low drive toward the bottom-left corner that was saved by Virginia goalie Joey Batrouni. Griffith continues to search for his first goal of the season.
In the tail end of the first half, Virginia amped up the pressure, eventually forcing Maryland goalie Laurin Mack to make his first save of the game and earning a subsequent corner kick. The Terps dealt with the corner as far as the edge of their own 18-yard box before a reckless Max Riley challenge gave Virginia a penalty kick.
Junior defender Nick Dang walked up to the spot and confidently sent Mack the wrong way, burying the penalty into the bottom-left corner to give the Cavs a 1-0 lead.
The penalty was a gift for the Cavaliers, who were struggling to generate scoring opportunities. But it didn’t take long for Maryland to return the favor on the other end.
Terps’ left back Luca Costabile hit the ground after being tripped up by a Cavs defender. Their penalty was also a golden opportunity, but far from a given for Maryland, who missed several penalties in its 2023 campaign.
Midfielder Leon Koehl stepped up for Maryland’s first spot kick of 2024 and sent a rocket toward the bottom-right that deflected off Batrouni en route to the back of the net.
“I appreciate the trust of my teammates, I mean we didn’t score the last four pens, so it’s like kind of pressure, but I scored so it’s all good,” Koehl said.
The two penalties were the notable events of what was a quiet first half for both teams. The two programs headed to their locker rooms knotted at one apiece.
Much like the first, the beginning of the second period was an uneventful stretch of play that favored the Terps.
Maryland held the majority of possession and consistently worked its way into the final third, but was unable to produce an end product once it got there.
The game remained even, feeling like a rumbling volcano waiting to erupt.
Soon enough, Virginia thought it had found the answer. With 13 minutes to go, forward Hayes Wood got behind Maryland’s defense and entered one-on-one with Mack. Wood opened his body up and aimed for the bottom-right corner, but Mack got a hand on it, marking the best save of his young Maryland career.
Still, it looked like the rebound might lead to a Virginia tap-in until Costabile slid in for a clearance to keep the Terps level.
“I think what you saw tonight was the quality of Laurin Mack, on two breakaways made incredible plays, that’s the first time we’ve had to rely on him to make plays like that,” Cirovski said.
The sequence proved to be the best chance of the entire match from open play, as Maryland tried and failed to find a winner in the last 10 minutes.
The Terps avoided a loss against their rival, but simultaneously didn’t make the statement they hoped with their best performance of 2024.
Three things to know
1. Consistent line up. Cirovski stuck with the most consistent group of 11 players that he has in any game all season Monday night, playing his starters for 60 of the game’s 90 minutes. Although this will likely change as players like Ndrenika, Riley and Bjarne Thiesen’s health improves, Cirovski’s favorite players on this 2024 squad are becoming more clear.
2. Another good defensive effort. Maryland has struggled to find goals against its higher-tiered opponents, but its back line has been the team’s strength. The team only allowed the Cavaliers a couple of chances outside of the penalty kick given away by a forward. The Terps high-line forced Virginia into a couple of offsides.
“[The defense is] going to be a strong point of this team,” Cirovski said.
3. No goals from open play. Maryland has scored just once in open play outside its 5-2 win against Detroit Mercy. The Terps will have to become more assertive going forward if they want to contend in the Big Ten.
“I think [offensive production is] going to come over time, only the fourth game of these and I think it looked pretty good. I think it’s going to come,” Koehl said.
