Maryland men’s soccer loses top-10 matchup against No. 2 Indiana, 3-1

Photo by Mason Munn/Indiana Hoosiers. Photo courtesy of Indiana Athletics.

The No. 6 Maryland Terrapins took a trip to Bloomington on Friday to take on the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers in a huge Big Ten matchup. 

Indiana came into the game with a dominant 8-0-2 record with a 2-1 home win over Penn State in their last action.

The Hoosiers’ elite defense has been the driving force so far, allowing only five goals through ten games. A big credit has to be given to goalkeeper Michal Mroz, the transfer from Evansville, who has an 84.8% save percentage with 28 saves.

FAU transfer Oliver Moller-Jensen has been the heart of the offense with seven goals and16 points; the next highest-scoring Hoosier has eight. Also notable is Indiana forward Stephane Njike taking on the Terps, his former team.

Maryland came off of a 2-2 tie against UCLA last Friday at Ludwig Field; they stand at 6-1-1 on the season.

Freshmen Rodrigo Neri and Said El Eyssami had four goals and nine points each, leading the way for the Terps. Goalkeeper Laurin Mack had a 70.2% save percentage with 33 saves.

Two fouls for Maryland were the main action early in the game, with a lot of possession to start, which is to be expected from two great teams. 

Great defensive play from Kenny Quist-Therson on a promising attack from the former Terrapin Stephane Njike in the 10th minute.

Kenny Quist-Therson, with a promising chance on a corner from Henry Bernstein, headed just wide right.

Indiana took the lead in the 17th minute; Oliver Moller-Jensen took a shot that was blocked, and Charlie Heuer was in the right place at the right time to put it in to give Indiana the first goal of the game.

Only a few minutes later, Stephane Njike to Easton Bogard heads it, and it’s off, but Charlie Heuer saves the day with his second goal of the day and third of the season. The Hoosiers lead 2-0 early.

A great one-handed save for Laurin Mack on a shot from Stephan Njike to the bottom left of the net.

A dominant start for Indiana out of the gate, out-shooting the Terps 6 to 1 and really controlling possession.

In the 37th minute, Charlie Heuer just missed to the left, looking for his third of the day.

Farouk Cisse made a fantastic defensive play to stop Charlie Heuer on another attack. Heuer was all over the field in the first half.

With 30 seconds left in the first half, Marco Wright got the best chance the Terps had in the game, saved by Michal Mroz.

Very rough first half for Maryland: a two-goal deficit, a -6 shot differential, and four more fouls than Indiana. They needed to come out of halftime looking a lot better.

Definitely a sense of urgency to start the second half for Maryland. They knew they needed a goal and needed one quickly.

Alex Matthews gets a good look for the Hoosiers, but the Terps make a stop. A much better-looking Maryland team in the second half.

Multiple great chances for Indiana in the 62nd minute, but two great saves from Laurin Mack to keep the deficit at two for the Terrapins.

Stephane Njike gets one in the 63rd minute; that has to be extra sweet for him against his former team. Collins Oduro finds Njike, who puts one into the bottom left corner of the goal. Indiana leads 3-0.

In the 71st minute, Rodrigo Neri caught the Indiana defense off guard with a header off a fantastic assist from Rocket Ritarita into the box, giving Neri an easy look. Number five on the year for Neri. The Hoosiers lead 3-1.

In the 87th minute, Rodrigo Neri gets an opportunity with a penalty kick, stutters and shoots, but Michal Mroz makes a great save.

Maryland couldn’t take down the Hoosiers. They take on Rutgers on the road on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m.