No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer gets back in win column with victory over Michigan State, 1-0

By: Matt Germack

In the 89th minute, a beautiful Spartan cross was headed away by Maryland’s senior goalkeeper Niklas Neumann, leaving freshman Jake Spadafora oh-so-close to not only the first Michigan State goal of the game — but also its first shot.

Maryland’s defense rose to the occasion in a critical game for Big Ten rankings. It was the first time this season the Terps limited opponents to no shots in a half, and the first time since at least 2016 they did it for a full match.

No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer used its strong defensive performance to carry itselves over Michigan State, 1-0.

“We competed for 90 minutes,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “Our goal before the game was to be more compact, to compete on every play and to be connected. I thought we accomplished that.

Sophomore defender William Kulvik narrowly missed another early goal, as at the 7th minute his header attempt off a high Spartan deflection had the right amount of touch but just too much distance, falling into the top of the net.

Kulvik got redemption in the 12th minute, when he snuck a deflected ball off a corner kick into the back right post with an impressive right-footed rabona well inside the goal area. Maryland got on the board first and led 1-0.

Maryland came close to another impressive score in the 24th minute, when a midfield free kick from junior Stefan Copetti narrowly missed the head of senior defender Chris Rindov, instead falling safely into the hands of Spartan goalkeeper Owen Finnerty.

The Terps refused to give up ground on defense, holding the Michigan State offense, which entered second-to-last in the Big Ten in shots, to zero shots in the first half. It was Maryland’s first half all season in which the Terps didn’t allow a shot.

The first yellow card of the match was issued to Michigan State senior midfielder Louis Sala in the 29th minute for unsporting after an unconvincing attempt to limp into a foul on Maryland’s side of the pitch.

Maryland continued to stack up opportunities on the offensive side of the ball, as freshman midfielder Albi Ndrenika got off a strong-footed shot on goal from 20 yards out. Unfortunately, he drove it right into Finnerty’s chest, and the score stood at 1-0.

In the 51st minute, Maryland had a prime opportunity for another score. Nifty footwork and a beautiful pass from redshirt sophomore Joshua Bolma left Copetti wide open left of the net, in a one-on-one opportunity with Spartan goalie Owen Finnerty. But with an opportunity for some flare as fireworks from Maryland’s nearby Homecoming Carnival lit up the sky above Ludwig Field, Copetti’s shot was well defended. Michigan State held strong.

Maryland’s offense showed out in the last 15 minutes of play, producing three impressive shots on goal to bring its match total to eight. Still, Finnerty continued a strong showing, diving to his left to bat away the first — from sophomore midfielder Griffin Dillon on the edge of the penalty box — and catching the next two, one from Ndrenika and one from redshirt senior defender Nick Richardson. 

The Spartans came as close to the net as they did all game, but failed to present a real scoring threat. The final minute came to a close, and the Terps won, 1-0.

The win followed a very unexpected loss to High Point on Monday, and Maryland was ecstatic to bounce back. The win meant extra not only because of Big Ten implications, but also because it was the Terps’ senior night. 

“We have a very good history on senior night for our players,” Cirovski said. “There’s a large group of seniors this year, and thankfully we were able to get a lot of them into the game.”

Maryland’s next match is against Indiana next Sunday. Maryland controls its own destiny in the Big Ten, as a win will clinch the Terps their first regular season championship since 2016. Only one player remains from Maryland’s 2018 national title team — defender Nick Richardson — so the rest of the class is chomping at the bit to collect their first hardware.

“This is the moment everyone around me’s been waiting for for four years now, especially the seniors,” Kulvik said. “I’ve been here for three years, I haven’t won anything, so it’s a big moment for all of us.”