Tuesday night’s contest against local foe George Mason had the makings of a letdown for Maryland men’s soccer, as the team was operating on short rest and was without standout forward Colin Griffith.
Instead, the Terps manufactured a dominant 2-0 win in which they outclassed George Mason for the vast majority of the match. It was the Terps’ third-consecutive win and 11th straight game without a loss.
“I feel very good about the way our guys showed character, grit, toughness and again quality,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said of his team’s performance.
The Terps started the game behind the eight-ball without Griffith. As a result, the they shifted to a 4-3-3 formation, sliding Albi Ndrenika to left wing, Alex Nitzl into the midfield and Jace Clark in off the bench to right back.
“Next man up you know, we have players that have been waiting in the wings and you saw what we did today,” Cirovski said.
It quickly became evident the Patriots were going to play an extremely high line, with their back four pushing all the way to midfield when they held possession.
This made Maryland uncomfortable initially, as most Big Ten opponents tend to sit in a much deeper low block.
The Terps adapted quickly, though, as beginning to look for balls behind George Mason’s back line.
With 17 minutes left in the half, Maryland found one to speedy forward Sadam Masereka, who took his touch toward the goal and smashed it off the inside of the near post and in for his second goal of the year.
“I feel like it’s coming, I’m getting my confidence back,” Masereka said. “I just need need one more [goal] for Monday [against UCLA].”
Maryland comfortably moved through the rest of the half, possessing the ball and coming close to finding a second goal from freshman Jameson Michel, who had his effort from about six yards out blocked.
The Terps headed to their home locker room with a 1-0 lead and looked secure. The Patriots didn’t manage a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.
For a brief moment, Maryland looked to be on its back foot early in the second half, as George Mason launched a couple of threatening attacks. But the Terps quickly settled back in, possessing the ball for long stretches of time.
With 25 minutes left in the game, Luca Costabile beat his man in the box and drew a penalty for what looked like a handball from a Patriot defender on the ground. The reliable Leon Koehl stepped up to the spot and sent the keeper the wrong way, burying his sixth penalty in six tries.
The Terps almost scored a third goal off a Ndrenika free kick that curled off the bar, but the game remained 2-0, as they coasted to another win.
Three things to know
1. Terps improve nonconference resume. Maryland has been dominant within the Big Ten this year, but in nonconference play, its 2-1-3 record was much shakier. When it comes time for potential tournament seeding, Maryland now can boast a dominant win over the Patriots, who entered the game No. 24 in the rating percentage index rankings.
2. Koehl has been historically good from the spot. Koehl is a perfect 6-for-6 from the penalty spot this season, which is the best for a Terp since Patrick Mullins’ 9-of-9 performance in 2013. Koehl is now tied for the team lead in goals with Colin Griffith without scoring from open play.
“I’m just confident in taking them, I’m the first Terp since 2013?” Koehl laughed. “Ok, that’s a nice achievement.”
3. Defense pitches a perfect shutout. Maryland’s defense — and goalie Laurin Mack — have been fantastic this season, but have missed out on a shutout their last three games. This time, the Terps achieved it, allowing just one shot on target all night.
