Maryland men’s soccer looks to get back on track against Saint Francis

Photo by Allison Mize/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

After squandering a 2-0 lead in Maryland’s men’s soccer home opener, the Terps will host Saint Francis in the second of a three-game homestand on Monday night. The contest marks the first-ever matchup between the two programs. 

Maryland’s (1-0-1) first home match of the season against Bucknell concluded in a draw. Sophomore forward Stephane Njike scored the first home goal of the season for the Terps and put them on the board with an assist from junior forward Luke van Heukelum in the 23rd minute. This shot was also Njike’s first as a Terp after transferring from Long Island University. 

Almost six minutes later, the Terps extended their lead over the Bisons on a nearly 30-yard shot from senior Luca Costabile, marking his first goal of the season. 

In the 38th minute, Bucknell was awarded a penalty kick that junior defender Jackson Sullivan converted. The goal cut the Terps’ lead in half heading into halftime. 

With 10 minutes left in the match, Bison’s defender Ben Sheffield scored after a corner kick to tie the match. The 2-2 score was held until the match ended, marking the first tie in the Terps and Bisons series history.

“[In] some of the key moments in the game, we didn’t execute the way we typically would,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We have to be able to close out the halves.”

Saint Francis (0-2-0) was defeated by St. Bonaventure, 1-0 on Thursday night during its home opener. The Red Flash’s defense was strong, but for the second consecutive game, it failed to record a goal. 

Senior goalkeeper Braeden Sorenson has recorded eight saves during his season so far with the Red Flash — two of which came against St. Bonaventure. 

The Red Flash had a couple of opportunities to score against St. Bonaventure with the help of freshman defender Connor O’Keefe, freshman forward Nathan Katari, and graduate student midfielder Thiago Pires. 

O’Keefe attempted to fire in two shots, where one almost made its way into the goal post but was just short of it. Katari fired a shot on goal against  St. Bonaventure’s goalkeeper, but just could not get it in. 

Pires fired in a free kick in the 87th minute that went towards the top corner of the goal post but missed by inches. 

During the 2024 season, Saint Francis struggled, following a strong 2023 season in which it went 7-0-8 and won the Northeast Conference regular season title. 

The transition from the 2023 season to 2024 was rough for the Red Flash, as they lost most of their offensive players. They finished last season with an overall record of 7-8-4 and 3-6 in conference play. 

Saint Francis’s struggles that began in 2024 have continued into their 2025 season. The Red Flash experienced their first season-opening loss since 2021.