No. 19 Maryland men’s soccer continues unbeaten streak, downing Northwestern 2-1

Photo courtesy of Hyun Jo Choi/University of Maryland Athletics

Colin Griffith didn’t score in an injury-filled sophomore season in 2023. But the talented forward continued his bounce-back campaign against Northwestern, winning a penalty and scoring his third goal in four games to help the Terps secure their third Big Ten victory. 

No. 19 Maryland men’s soccer (5-1-3, 3-0-0 Big Ten) defeated Northwestern (5-4-0, 0-3-0 Big Ten), 2-1, to continue its streak of seven straight games without a defeat.

Penalties were a big question mark for Maryland entering the season after the Terps went 0-4 from the spot last year. But Maryland has turned that into a strength in 2024. Griffith dribbled into the box in the 12th minute and was slide-tackled from behind by Bryant Mayer. The junior forward has drawn a foul resulting in a penalty in three of the last five games. 

The Terps were awarded their fourth penalty of the season and Leon Koehl calmly slipped his shot past the keeper’s outstretched arm to fire Maryland into the lead. The sophomore from Germany is the squad’s leading scorer with four goals, all from the penalty spot — a complete 180 from a season ago. 

The Terps continued to jump on the Wildcats early to build their lead. In the 17th minute, Luca Costabile slipped a sneaky backheel pass to Griffith, who scored his third goal of the year. 

Maryland’s trademark pressing unsettled the Northwestern defense early and forced the backline into mistakes. The Wildcats were already missing a key piece in the back with Bryce LeBel having to start in place of the injured Reese Mayer. 

The Wildcats also further changed the defense by subbing off veteran defender Bryant Mayer. The sophomore had played the third most minutes of anyone in their squad this season but still was subbed after just 26 minutes in an attempt to cope with the pressure. 

Despite holding Maryland to only three shots in the first half, the defense allowed all three to be on-target and dangerous opportunities to score. 

Northwestern won the possession battle as the Terps were content to sit further back and keep their shape to protect the lead, especially after the second goal was scored. Maryland conceded more of the ball to their opponents in recent victories over Indiana and Wisconsin as well. In both matches the Terps scored in the first half and then adopted a more defensive approach. 

The Wildcats didn’t get any of its four first half shots on target. But Northwestern came out after the break attacking with a new energy. Jayvin Van Deventer found himself with a clear look at goal less than a minute into the half but fired his shot directly at goalie Laurin Mack. 

Maryland absorbed the early second half pressure and looked to be headed for victory with Northwestern still only having one shot on goal after 63 minutes. Coach Sasho Cirovski opted to switch to three center backs to lock the match down. 

But the Wildcats took advantage of the conservative change, winning a free kick. Christopher Thaggard scored Northwestern’s first goal of Big Ten play off the set piece to make for a nervy last final third minutes for the Terps’ defense. The Wildcats outshot Maryland 9-2 in the second half.

In the last 15 minutes, Maryland survived a potential penalty review after the ball struck Bjarne Thiesen on the arm, which was judged to have been in a natural position. 

Chris Steinleitner rescued the Terps in the 83rd minute by heading away a Collin McCamy shot from inside the eighteen as the only defender between McCamy and the net. 

The ball fell to Thaddaeus Dewing off a corner in the 89th minute. Dewing stood just yards from the goal but missed from point-blank range to confine the Wildcats to their fate. 

The heated match that featured five yellow cards ended with some shoving after the final whistle. 

Maryland looks to continue its seven-game unbeaten streak Tuesday at 6 p.m. when it takes on Penn State at home.