No. 4 Maryland men’s soccer faces No. 14 Indiana in fourth top-15 matchup this season

A 26-year rivalry between Maryland and Indiana men’s soccer will reignite on Friday night at Ludwig Field for the Terps’ fourth top-15 match this season. 

No. 4 Maryland (9-0-3, 5-0-2 Big Ten) will look for its fourth consecutive win against No. 14 Indiana (11-3-1, 4-3-0 Big Ten), which will be looking for its fifth. The two teams have outscored their opponents a combined 26-4 during their winning streaks.

“The rivalry with Indiana is the one that’s most special at this point,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We’re both nationally relevant every year, so this is an exciting match that I know myself and the team can’t wait to play.”

Following a 4-0 win at Ohio State, the Terps are the only unbeaten team in the Big Ten and have posted four straight shutouts, including two against ranked teams. 

“Defensively, we’ve been good. We haven’t found our level in possession, and that’s going to be important against Indiana,” Cirovski said. “But the team is in a good place.”

Maryland’s defense has excelled this season, allowing only seven goals. Goalkeeper Laurin Mack has recorded eight saves in the past two matches. After extending his shutout streak to over 400 minutes, the sophomore was named Goalkeeper of the Week for a second consecutive week and the third time this season.

Defender Tristin Rose earned his first Defensive Player of the Week award after playing all 90 minutes in Maryland’s pair of shutouts. The senior’s relentless defense, with the help of fellow senior defenders Luca Costabile and Lasse Kelp, permitted a combined eight shots on goal against Ohio State and Rutgers.

“It just really helps if you have someone that you really trust … and communicate with,” Kelp said about dominating the backline with Rose.

“The dynamics are just working perfectly out there,” Costabile said. “[Lasse Kelp] is also a huge part of why we stepped out this year in the defensive part. He’s carving a lot of ground. He’s a leader out there.”

Indiana is coming off a 4-1 win against Wisconsin with goals by defenders Alex Barger, Breckin Minzey, Josh Maher and forward Collins Oduro. Senior Palmer Ault assisted on three of the four goals.

Ault is second nationally in goals with 14 and leads the nation in points with 36. The senior has scored five goals in the Hoosiers’ last three matches, including the game-tying and game-winning goals against No. 25 Kentucky. He earned his third Offensive Player of the Week award following the performance. 

“I mean, I’m gonna win it though,” Kelp said when asked about the matchup against Ault. “I don’t worry about it.”

The Hoosiers’ two goalkeepers have allowed a combined 19 goals this season. Freshman Judewellin Michel was announced Freshman of the Week after allowing only one goal in matches against Hanover and Kentucky. He also recorded his first career win in his second start with four saves against the Wildcats.

Friday night will mark the 22nd match between the two teams. The rivalry dates back to 1999, before the Terps joined the Big Ten. Maryland defeated the Hoosiers last season 1-0 with a goal by midfielder Leon Koehl. 

“We’re having a great season and we need to have the students … and the community come out and support us,” Cirovski said. “This is clearly one of the games of the year, until next Friday.”