No. 4 Maryland men’s soccer continues NCAA Tournament run against No. 13 UConn in third round

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Athletics

Maryland men’s soccer survived the NCAA Tournament Second Round with a win in penalty kicks over North Carolina on Sunday. 

On Saturday, No. 4 Maryland (12-1-4, 8-0-2 Big Ten) faces No. 13 UConn (12-4-4, 5-2-1 Big East) for the first time since 2017 in the NCAA Tournament Third Round. 

Maryland defeated North Carolina last week after regulation ended in a 1-1 draw. Two scoreless overtime periods led to a penalty shootout, where the Terps outscored the Huskies 4-3 in penalty kicks to secure their first tournament victory.

With two minutes left in the first half, freshman forward Rocket Ritarita netted not only the first goal of the game, but his first career postseason goal. The forward was assisted by senior forward Sadam Masereka – Maryland’s leading goal scorer – and sophomore defender Jace Clark.

Roughly 10 minutes later, North Carolina evened the score.

Strong defensive play from both teams kept the match scoreless and ensured neither could find the back of the net. A total of six yellow cards were issued, and both teams combined for only nine shots, excluding penalty kicks.

After an intense penalty shootout, sophomore goalkeeper Laurin Mack was named the final shooter. The goalkeeper drilled one past fellow goalkeeper Andrew Cordes, closing out the three-hour match.

UConn is coming off a 3-1 win over Cornell, despite being outshot by the Big Red 31-9. Cornell took the lead in the 37th minute but was only able to hold it for five minutes before the Huskies found the back of the net. 

Senior forward and Huskies leading goal-scorer Austin Brummett drilled one past senior goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg and tallied another with one second left in the first half to give UConn a 2-0 lead. The Huskies continued to extend their lead with three minutes left in the match with a goal from sophomore defender Alex Tupay – his first of the season.

Although UConn was outshot by Cornell, sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Durham, who was a stalwart in the net, ensured the victory. 

The sophomore recorded seven saves during the match, adding to his 0.816 save percentage, which trumps Mack’s 0.773. Durham ranks No. 1 in the nation in total saves with 93.

The Terps hold an 8-2 series record over the Huskies, winning their past three consecutive matches against UConn. 

Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Ludwig Field, where a victory would bring Maryland one step closer to its fifth NCAA Championship.