No. 23 Maryland men’s soccer draws 2-2 in wild final minutes vs Penn State

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

With three seconds remaining and a free kick opportunity, No. 23 Maryland men’s soccer had a chance to do something it had not done since 2018: beat Penn State.

With a goal earlier in the half on a free kick, defender Lasse Kelp sailed a shot into the box untouched by the head of any player near the wall. But Penn State goalkeeper Jonathan Evans dove to his right and knocked the shot away with his right palm, keeping the score at 2-2 as time expired.

Despite a hectic second half, Maryland (5-0-2, 1-0-1 Big Ten) leaves Jeffrey Field in State College with a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night against Penn State (2-4-1, 0-2-1 Big Ten).

 “We’ve seen [Lasse] do this before in training, and there was no one else we wanted on the ball at that point,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We almost pulled it off, but Lasse… was a big part of our comeback.”

Both teams’ physicality was evident throughout the game, but no cards were issued in the first 72 minutes of game time. In the final 17 minutes, Maryland and Penn State combined for seven cards.

The physicality intensified in the 73rd minute as sophomore forward Stephane Njike was issued a red card, leaving Maryland without its top goal scorer and down a player for the rest of the game.

The Nittany Lions took advantage of Maryland’s red card soon after as redshirt junior forward  Christian Dionne’s goal in the 84th minute gave Penn State a 2-1 lead.

Despite playing with just 10 players, Maryland’s offense remained aggressive, enabling it to draw a yellow card just outside of the box. On the ensuing free kick, Kelp ripped a shot into the lower right corner, tying the game at two. 

“I’m very proud of the team to come back and get a tie and really push for the win in the last few seconds of the game,” Cirovski said. “But it was a game I felt we gifted away.”

Despite slick conditions, the Terps’ offense was unaffected, sustaining offensive pressure throughout the first half.

One of the Terps’ best opportunities in the first half came from forward Rocket Ritarita. The freshman slipped through the defense, finding him self one-on-one with Evans, but the shot sailed over the crossbar.

Maryland entered the game as one of the top teams in the Big Ten at drawing corner kicks, averaging nearly seven per game. The Terps drew three in the first half, with their final opportunity leading directly to a goal.  

While Maryland did not directly score from its penalty kick in the 36th minute, a shot placed back into the box generated a rebound and left Evans out of position. Freshman defender Farouk Cisse corralled the rebound and rifled a shot into the net through a host of Penn State defenders. It was Cisse’s first career goal.

Following the Terps’ goal, the Nittany Lions aggressively pressured the Terps’ defense and goalkeeper. The pressure generated arguably the Nittany Lions’ best chance of the half, forcing a turnover from Maryland’s goalkeeper Laurin Mack. But the Terps’ defense quickly rallied to block the shot.

The Nittany Lions’ pressure continued to be problematic for the Terps in the second half, forcing another turnover from Maryland’s defense in the 51st minute. This time, Penn State capitalized as redshirt sophomore midfielder Ben Madore’s first goal this season evened the game at one.

The Nittany Lions found consistency in their defensive pressure as well, neutralizing senior forward Sadam Masereka and Njike on the outside.

Senior defender Matthew Henderson stayed vocal on the backend of Penn State’s defense, contributing to the match’s intensity and physicality. The match’s intensity then ramped up in the final 17 minutes following a red card from Njike as the two teams were issued seven cards and scored two goals in the last 17 minutes.

The final penalty allowed gave Maryland a chance to score its second with 10 players on the field, but Evans swatted the shot away.

“I thought tonight we fell a bit short of your performance standard,” Cirovski said. “But in the end, we found a way to get a point on the road.”