With 7:50 remaining in a 3-3 match, Maryland looked for a way to score. Joshua Bolma’s ball was stolen before he could get a shot off, and later, Nick Richardson’s shot was blocked in front of the net.
Suddenly, neither team could find the net for a go-ahead goal after both teams had frantically traded scores in an offensive showcase for the first 75 minutes.
The match ended in a tie, with both sides wishing they could have knocked in just one more to grab the win. The draw moved Maryland’s record to 4-1-2.
“There needs to be a lot more maturity and better decision making on the field… I know we’ll respond,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “I know we’ll get better.”
No. 9 Maryland men’s soccer hosted Penn State in its Big Ten home opener Tuesday.
The Terps, searching for their first win against the Nittany Lions since 2018, battled against a worthy opponent in Penn State.
After five quick shot attempts from the Terps that missed just off target to start the match, Richardson dribbled through two Penn State defenders and shot a rocket through the bottom left of the net. The goal was Richardson’s second of the season and his career.
With the Terps in command up 1-0 and dominating in shot attempts, the pressure fell on the Nittany Lions to get on the board. Only three minutes later, Penn State did just that.
Off of a corner kick in the 20th minute, defender Femi Awodesu headed the flying pass in for a score. Maryland goalkeeper Jamie Lowell attempted to knock the ball off of its path towards the goal, but it still fell into the net, evening the score up at one.
Penn State didn’t stop there, as in the 28th minute forward Peter Mangione put his team in the driver’s seat. The 2021 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year took the pass from defender Tyger Evans, shooting a missile into the top right corner of the net. The ball went above the outstretched arms of Jamie Lowell, putting Penn State up 2-1.
“Playing a team like Penn State, we know they got guys who can score, and obviously we know we got guys that can score,” defender Chris Rindov said. “But we gotta [play hard] for the full 90 minutes… there have been moments during games where we’ve kind of switched off for two, three minute periods, and we can’t have that.”
Both teams continued to put shots on goal through the remainder of the first half, with the Terps looking to tie it up. In the 44th minute, Bolma’s shot looked to be perfectly placed in the top corner of the net. However, Penn State goalkeeper Kris Shakes just got his hands on the ball, deflecting it up and out of the net to keep the advantage going into the half.
Despite leading Penn State 9:4 in shot attempts, six of them came in the first 17 minutes for the Terps. Once Penn State got on the board, all of the energy in the stadium was zapped, and momentum heavily shifted in favor of the Nittany Lions.
However, just six minutes into the second half, that all changed. With the ball up for grabs just in front of the net, midfielder Griffin Dillon took advantage. The sophomore charged in and knocked one in off his right foot, evening up the score at two to give the stadium life once again.
A flurry of set pieces from both teams occurred following Dillon’s goal, but neither side was able to take advantage.
That is until the 70th minute mark, when Penn State defender Jalen Watson fouled forward Max Riley to set up a penalty kick. Malcolm Johnston took full advantage, booting the ball through the top right corner of the net to give the Terps the lead for the first time since the 20th minute.
Despite coming into the match with only two goals in their last two games, Penn State certainly appeared to be a high-powered offense against their conference rivals. In the 75th minute, Lowell fouled the attacker, setting up a Tyger Evans penalty kick. Evans did not squander the opportunity, getting it past Lowell to even the match up again, this time at three.
“I really like our team. I like where we are,” Cirvoski said. “Except we have to stop being so generous, giving away goals and gifts to teams… for the amount of opportunities we had, we should have won this game.”
The back-and-forth nature of the match kept both teams on their toes until the very last minute of action. However, the Big Ten foes ended in a 3-3 tie, continuing the Terps’ winless streak against Penn State.
“We just [have] to finish it off… we have the ball in the final third, we just have to connect that last pass, we got to finish off the last play,” defender Alex Nitzl said. “I think we put a lot of pressure on [Penn State]. We just have to finish off all our plays and use our opportunities.”
Maryland continues its homestand Sunday when No. 13 Ohio State comes to town. Kickoff is set for 1 PM.
