No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer seeks its third straight win on Saturday vs Ohio State

Photo by Kevin Snyder/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer will look for its third consecutive win on Saturday against Ohio State, following 2-0 victories over No. 13 Michigan and No. 18 Rutgers.

Rutgers’ defense wasted no time recording the first shot in the fourth minute, leading to sophomore goalkeeper Laurin Mack’s first of five saves in the match. Mack currently ranks twelfth in the nation with a 0.848 save percentage.

Sophomore forward Stephane Njike netted his fifth goal as a Terp and the first of the game in the 56th minute with assists from senior midfielders Joseph Umberto Picotto and Chris Steinleitner.

Umberto Picotto extended the score to 2-0 ten minutes later on an assist from senior defender Tristen Rose. The two points marked Umberto Picotto’s first goal and assist as a Terp after transferring from UMBC for the 2025 season.

“We’re not worried about streaks or stretches, and we’ve just got to get ready for the next game,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said following the win. “We’ll try to make sure we get the minds and bodies ready for an important match at Ohio State.”

Two Terps were awarded Big Ten players of the week following their victory against Michigan the week prior. Midfielder Leon Koehl earned Offensive Player of the Week. This is the first time the junior has received this award, and the first time a Terp has received it this season.

Mack was recognized as the Big Ten’s Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time this season following his three-save performance against Michigan. 

Maryland (8-0-3, 4-0-2 Big Ten) will now travel to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium to face Ohio State (5-7, 2-4 Big Ten) in the fourteenth match between the two teams. 

Maryland has a 9-4 series record over Ohio State, despite not defeating the Buckeyes since 2022. Ohio State won last season’s match 2-1, and it was the Terps’ last regular-season game at home. 

Senior midfielder Marko Borkovic enters the match tied for fourth place in the Big Ten in points, along with Maryland’s Njike and two others. Borkovic has been the driving force for Ohio State’s offense, leading the Buckeyes with five goals and 13 points. Borkovic’s goal total accounts for one-third of the Buckeyes’ goals this season, so neutralizing his time and space will be essential for the Terps’ defense.