Maryland men’s soccer set to begin conference play against Wisconsin

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

After three consecutive home games, Maryland men’s soccer (3-0-1) will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for its first Big Ten conference match on Friday night. Maryland has an advantage over Wisconsin (2-2) with a 9-4-2 series record, including a 3-0 win last season.

On Saturday, Maryland defeated Pacific 4-0 at Ludwig Field. The Terps have now won their past two matches – both shutouts against Pacific and Saint Francis – after squandering a multi-goal lead to Bucknell on Aug. 29. In its last two victories, Maryland has scored eight second-half goals. 

The Terps’ match against Pacific showcased many firsts for the Terps. Freshman forward Rocket Ritarita, named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, and sophomore forward Aidan Sheppela scored their first career goals. Senior defender Mack DeVries acquired his first career assist. 

Ritarita’s strike occurred roughly eight minutes after a goal in the 75th minute by senior forward Sadam Masereka. Ritarita assisted Masereka for his third assist of the season during his second collegiate game, along with senior Lasse Kelp.

Friday night will be Wisconsin’s first match since September 1st, after their game against Marquette (2-0-2) was cancelled due to a tragic loss suffered by the Marquette community. 

Wisconsin lost its most recent match against Portland (4-0-0) 1-0. The Badgers had a couple of opportunities during the game to get ahead of Portland. Two shots in the first five minutes and another in the 78th were Wisconsin’s closest attempts at scoring, but it struggled to find the back of the net. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Matisse Hébert has recorded 13 saves during the 2025 season, with five occurring in the Badgers’ match against Portland. Maryland’s sophomore goalkeeper, Laurin Mack, has recorded 15 saves this season, with four of those coming against Pacific. 

Maryland’s offense has been a driving force during its past two games, tallying a total of 56 shots compared to Wisconsin’s 13 shots over its past two matches. 

“All focus shifts to conference play now,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said after Maryland’s match against Pacific. 

The Terps have a 3-2-1 road record against the Badgers, but have gone winless at the Dan McClimon Memorial Track/Soccer Complex since 2017. The Terps will look to buck that trend on Friday night.