Maryland men’s soccer defeats Navy, 3-0, in its final home match of season

Early in the second half, Kimani Stewart-Baynes raced up the field before turning his run inside, looking up and seeing his teammates fill the box for a potential oncoming cross. 

Stewart-Baynes fired the ball inwards, blasting it to Luke van Heukelum who redirected the ball into the back of the net, putting the Terps ahead 1-0.

The freshman’s goal proved to be the winner, as Maryland men’s soccer (4-7-3) cruised to a 3-0 victory over Navy (5-7-4) in its final home match of the season.

Unfortunately for the Terps, the victory was overshadowed by a separate big story surrounding the team, which was the news that they will not have a chance to participate in the Big Ten tournament. 

Ohio State beat Michigan State in dramatic fashion, scoring the game-winner in the 87th minute to win, 3-2. The Spartans had come back from a 2-0 deficit before the goal, further adding to the heartbreak for the Terps who needed a tie at minimum. 

The Ohio State win also breaks coach Sasho Cirovski’s streak of 22 straight seasons with an NCAA tournament appearance. 

“I’ve never had a season end in October,” Cirovski said. “You flip a few of those plays [in previous games] and we’re sitting instead of four and seven, maybe we’re seven and four … This is soccer. Soccer is a beautiful game, it can also be a cruel and punishing game.”

Maryland’s first half lineup in the Navy game reflected the team’s uncertainty surrounding the Ohio State match, resting all its top players in case the Buckeyes failed to win. Instead, the Terps came out with an unfamiliar lineup filled with underclassmen looking to gain some experience.

Navy pressured the Maryland back line early and often in this one, forcing a couple early mistakes from the Terps. By the twenty minute mark, Navy had seen all of the game’s chances, having five shots to Maryland’s zero. But the Midshipmen could not capitalize on their early momentum, not striking a single one of the shots on goal. 

The Terps’ stagnant offense seemed to be a result of the inexperience between the players on the field. Many had not played with one another, leading to many unforced turnovers happening as a result of miscommunication.

Cirovski looked to change that in the 34th minute, putting on van Heukelum to hopefully spark the offense. The freshman didn’t take long to get into the action, getting the game’s first shot on goal in the 36th minute. 

The game started to open up from there, Wolcott being forced into the first save of his career not long thereafter. 

Wolcott continued to spearhead the Terps’ efforts  in the first half, making another big save shortly before halftime. The freshman goalkeeper made a diving effort to keep out the near post firecracker from A.J. Schuetz. 

That save was the last action before half, the teams heading into the locker rooms scoreless, 0-0. 

Maryland decided to start a more familiar lineup in the second half, fielding most of its typical starters up to this point in the season.

The starting lineup made a huge impact as well, starting things off early in the 54th minute with van Heukelum’s goal. 

The starters weren’t done there, however, finding the net again just a couple minutes later. 

Again, Stewart-Baynes made a slicing run through the defense before firing the cross into high levels of traffic. The cross was perfect, threading the needle to find Max Riley, who took one touch and buried the ball into the bottom corner, earning his team a 2-0 brace. 

Maryland’s offense knew it was in control from there, continuing to assault the Navy goal with an abundance of chances. 

In the 66th minute, it seemed as if the team might get its third, with the ball bouncing all over the box. Stefan Copetti took a couple of attempts at it, forcing a block and save from the Navy defense at point blank range. 

About ten minutes later, Maryland would score another just for good measure, completing the second-half rout. Maryland’s corner ping-ponged around the box, taking a couple touches off of Leon Koehl and Copetti before reaching Riley for the easy tap-in.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Riley said. “I’m just glad to get it at the end of the season.” 

This would round out the match’s action, as the Terps got their victory in a final match at Ludwig for the seniors. 

“Being a part of the group is something special,” senior Joe Suchecki said when asked about his experience at Maryland. 

Maryland will take on Ohio State on Sunday in its final game of the season.