Maryland men’s soccer carries win streak to four with 2-1 victory over Pitt

Sophomore Stephane Njike and senior Sadam Masereka have been a potent duo for Maryland men’s soccer this season. The two players are tied for most goals on the team with three each, and continued to stand out for the Terps on Friday.

“Having two of them, the double threat, I think is a real problem for a lot of teams because you can’t really focus on one, then the other one becomes a nuisance,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. 

Following a 3-1 win over Wisconsin in their first Big Ten match of the season, Maryland men’s soccer (5-0-1, 1-0) defeated Pitt (3-4-1, 0-2-0) 2-1 at Ludwig Field on Friday. The Terps entered with a historical advantage over the Panthers with a 4-0 series record, winning their last match in 2013 with a 2-0 score.

Njike scored three shots for Maryland with his fourth being the first goal of the match with an assist from junior Leon Koehl and Masereka in the 50th minute. With eight minutes left, Masereka scored his third goal of the season with an assist by junior midfielder Kenny Quist-Therson.

Pitt fought back with a goal in the 88th minute but couldn’t overpower the Terps defense. 

The Terps offense wasted no time by recording two shots within the match’s first two minutes. Njike got the first look at the goal but was blocked by multiple Panthers. Shortly after, senior defender Chris Steinleitner recorded his fourth shot of the season and eighth as a Terp after transferring from Eastern Florida State College ahead of the 2024 season.

Njike and Steinleitner got a second look at the goal in the 16th and 20th minute, respectively, but both were blocked by Pitt’s defense. 

In the first half of the match, sophomore goalkeeper Laurin Mack recorded three saves for Maryland. Mack has now recorded 19 saves to contribute to the Terps only allowing three goals so far this season.

The first half remained scoreless for both teams. Maryland recorded ten shots with three on goal while Pitt recorded four with three on goal as well. 

Njike took his third shot of the night in the first half but was stopped by the Panthers’ junior goalkeeper Jack Moxom.

Only four minutes into the second half, Njike pushed the ball down the field and passed it to Masereka. The forward sent it back to Njike, who finally netted a goal on his fourth shot of the game. 

This marked Njike’s third goal as a Terp and Masereka’s first assist this season. 

The Panthers tried to even the game in the 55th minute.

Pitts junior forward Alex Hauskrecht made his way near the box and geared up for a close-range shot. Senior defender Lasse Kelp intercepted him with a slide and regained possession for Maryland

Masereka attempted to extend Maryland’s lead in the 63rd minute but was blocked by the Panthers defense. 

With eight minutes left in the match, Masereka redeemed himself. He notched his third goal of the season with an assist by Quist-Therson, and the Terps took a 2-0 lead over the Panthers. 

This marked Quist-Therson’s first career assist in his 27th game with Maryland.  

In the 88th minute, Pitt narrowed Maryland’s lead. A goal by freshman Jakob Löpping made it a 2-1 game but Maryland’s defense did not allow the Panthers to score anymore with two minutes left.

“[We] got something special brewing here, this fall with our soccer team,” Cirvoski said. “And we need to get people out here, the community, the faculty, the staff, everybody, their pets.”