No. 13 Maryland men’s soccer beats No. 15 Michigan 2-0; remains unbeaten through 10 games

Junior Leon Koehl used his body to block Michigan senior defender Nolan Miller in the 74th minute. Koehl fed the ball to senior Albi Ndrenika, who whipped it to sophomore Stephane Njike with a back heel flip. The sophomore took the ball from midfield to the net, launching his fourth goal of the season and the Terps’ second of the night. 

Maryland men’s soccer (7-0-3, 3-0-2 Big Ten) defeated Michigan (6-2-3, 2-2-1 Big Ten) 2-0 on Friday night at Ludwig Field for the first time since 2022. The Terps have been unbeaten in the first 10 matches of the season, which they haven’t done since 2017.

“We don’t talk about rankings, the standings or anything like that,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “Right now, our goal is to just go, just keep getting better.”

Maryland and Michigan’s offense had strong starts only three minutes into the match.

Senior midfielder/defender Chris Steinleitner and Njike each got a look at the goal, but Steinleitner was blocked and Njike’s attempt went wide. Michigan midfielder Shuma Sasaki went for a goal after, but it was saved by sophomore goalkeeper Laurin Mack.

Midfielder Joseph Umberto Picotto sent the ball over to Steinleitner in the 11th minute. The midfielder/defender saw that senior Luca Costabile had the perfect opening to score the first goal of the match. Costabile proved him righed him right and ack of the net, but he wa,he wasde.

Although Maryland struggled to keep possession during the last 10 minutes of the match, the first half ended scoreless for both teams. The Terps overpowered Michigan’s defense with five shots and three on goal, compared to the Wolverines, who recorded three shots with only one on goal.

The Terps’ struggles continued into the second half.

Senior defender Lasse Kelp launched the ball to Costabile, who was right by the net but failed to maneuver around junior goalkeeper Isaiah Goldson. Soon after, Ndrenika found the ball and tried to find the net, but the kick went the opposite direction and back into Michigan’s possession. 

Maryland obtained the lead in the 55th minute with a goal by junior Leon Koehl on a penalty kick. This goal marked the midfielder’s third of the season after being one of Maryland’s top offensive options last season, leading the team with seven goals.

Koehl led the nation in penalty kicks last season with a perfect 7-for-7 record. 

The penalty kick was the result of a yellow card on Michigan’s senior Zach Martens. The midfielder received the yellow card after a relentless defensive approach toward senior forward Sadam Masereka. 

In the 70th minute, Njike and Ndrenika got their revenge on the Wolverines’ defense with a goal to extend Maryland’s lead. 

The Terps’ strong defense helped secure the win by blocking a free kick from senior Nicholas Cassiday in the 86th minute. Defender Jace Clark, midfielder Kenny Quist-Therson and Masereka formed a wall with the rest of the Terps in front of the goal. The trio jumped at the perfect time to block the kick. 

Freshman Nick Nobles tried to keep the Wolverines in the game with a shot a minute later, but Mack ensured Michigan remained scoreless with his third save of the match. 

“I think on the defensive side, that was one of our better performances of the year. [Michigan is] a very good team and we held them to very few opportunities,” Cirovski said. 

Maryland continues play at Ludwig Field on Tuesday night against No. 18 Rutgers. The Terps hold a 12-4-2 series record against the Scarlet Knights, but have lost theireast two matches against Rutgers.