Maryland men’s soccer pulls away in the second half in 3-1 victory over Wisconsin

The Terps’ offense has excelled in the second half this season. With two goals in the final 45 minutes against Wisconsin, Maryland upheld that trend – and its win streak.

Maryland (4-0-1) defeated Wisconsin (2-3) on Saturday night on the road in Madison, Wisconsin, for its fourth win in a row. The Terps have also won their last six conference player openers. 

A penalty kick in the 23rd minute by midfielder Leon Koehl gave Maryland the 1-0 lead. The Badgers tied up the Terps early in the match but goals by freshman forward Rocket Ritarita and sophomore Stephane Njike fueled the comeback.

Forward Sadam Masereka got one of Maryland’s first looks at the goal. The senior fired the ball to high center, but it was stopped by Wisconsin sophomore goalkeeper Matisse Hébert. 

Masereka is tied for the team lead in shots on goal with five and is second with two goals. He also scored the first goal of the season for the Terps in their season opener against Wake Forest, though it wasn’t officially counted after the match was cancelled and ruled a no-contest due to lightning. 

In the 22nd minute, Wisconsin junior defender Ellis Jones and freshman midfielder Aidan Martinez each took shots, but they were both too high. 

One minute later, Koehl netted his first goal of the season.  

Last season, Koehl was one of Maryland’s top offensive options. He scored a team-leading seven goals – including one during the Terps’ last match against Wisconsin – and was second on the team in points with 16. 

Maryland’s offense has been a driving force in its past couple games, but during the first half of the Terps’ match against Wisconsin, their defense shined. 

The first half ended with both teams having three shots. All three of the Terps’ shots were on goal. 

Senior defender Lasse Kelp aimed to extend Maryland’s lead in the 55th minute with a shot to the top left, but he couldn’t get it past Hébert. 

Two minutes later, the Badgers tied up the score. 

Sophomore midfielder Matthew Zachemski converted a penalty kick to bring the score to 1-1. This was the first time Maryland had allowed a goal since its game against Bucknell on Aug. 29.

Soon after, Maryland quickly took back the lead in the 68th minute with a goal by Njike.

This was Njike’s second goal as a Terp after he transferred from Long Island. The forward is tied for third-most points on the team with Masereka and senior Albi Ndrenika. 

Ritarita further extended Maryland’s lead in the 75th minute with his second career goal and final goal of the match.

The freshman was announced the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after scoring his first goal during Maryland’s match against Pacific and his third and fourth assists in the same game.