In the 54th minute, Maryland forward Hunter George beautifully weaved in and out of traffic, passing a bullet to forward Joshua Bolma. Bolma attacked the goal before being met by three Denver defenders, giving away possession of the ball.
Bolma’s turnover epitomized the entirety of the match, as the Pioneers shut down every opportunity for Maryland on offense.
No. 9 Maryland men’s soccer took on No. 20 Denver at home Friday night. The Pioneers got out to an early lead and coasted the rest of the way, downing the Terps, 2-0.
“We didn’t come out with the right mentality. It’s definitely a really big disappointment,” said redshirt senior Nick Richardson.
The loss was the Terps’ first of the season, dropping them to 1-1-1. The win for the Pioneers improved them to 3-0.
The action began early, when in the sixth minute, Denver’s Ronan Wynne scored off an assist from sophomore midfielder Sam Bassett. The junior defender scored close to the goal, knocking the ball into the bottom right of the net.
“Certainly not the beginning of the game that we wanted,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “Giving up the first goal was difficult on a set piece. It was a missed assignment.”
The scoring continued for Denver shortly after the goal by Wynne.
In the 17th minute, a Joe Suchecki foul set up a penalty kick opportunity for the Pioneers, when Bassett kicked one through the bottom right of the net, putting Denver on top 2-0.
“Giving away a penalty kick… is where they put us in a hole,” Cirovski said. “Very difficult to dig out of.”
Maryland got off to a quiet start, with no shots until the 17 minute mark. The Terps offense struggled in the early stages of the match as Denver’s defensive pressure provided issues.
“[T]he past three games we just haven’t been very sharp and the energy has been a little low off the start,” said Richardson. “As leaders we just need to be better and expect opponents to come out hungry.”
The Terps had an opportunity to join Denver on the scoreboard in the 31st minute when Bolma found possession of the ball. However, Bolma’s shot sailed off the right post, keeping the Terps down two.
Maryland struggled to penetrate the Pioneers’ defense, keeping its scoring opportunities slim in the first half.
“I think sometimes today, when the centerback’s got the ball, they took a touch forward and then there were no options,” senior goalkeeper Niklas Neumann said. “Instead of just playing that ball, I think sometimes we could have just [kicked it] out and played me again.”
With three minutes left in the first half, George had a prime opportunity to score for the Terps. The senior’s corner kick soared over the head of a Maryland teammate out of bounds, marking another missed scoring chance by Maryland.
A major scare came with 1:21 remaining in the first half, when Bolma came down hard after colliding with Denver goalkeeper Isaac Nehme. Bolma came off the field under his own power and walked to the sidelines. The redshirt sophomore returned for the start of the second half.
Although Maryland out-shot Denver 8:6 in the first half, the Pioneers entered halftime up 2-0.
The second period began with shots on goal by forward Stefan DeLeone and midfielder Eli Mereness, but Maryland goalkeepers Niklas Neumann saved both attempts from reaching the back of the net.
The Terps came out of the second half looking like a different team, as the defense played stronger and the offense played with more cohesiveness.
After Maryland’s encouraging start to the second period, neither team could generate any offense as the match went into a defensive battle.
With 24 minutes left in the match, defender Alex Nitzl looked to pass the ball to George, standing by the sidelines. George missed the pass before shaking his head in disbelief. A major miscommunication for the Terps, something that haunted them throughout the entirety of the match.
“You can go down two goals, but at some point you just got to come back… it didn’t happen today,” Neumann said.
With time running out for the Terps, Bolma dribbled past a Pioneer defender, sending a beautiful pass to sophomore midfielder Griffin Dillon. Close to the goal, the ball kicked off of Griffin’s leg, rolling into the arms of the Denver goalkeeper.
Neither team scored the rest of the way, and the Pioneers left College Park with a win.
“I think that we have to introduce a few more direct ways to get forward… we’ve become a bit predictable with our possessions,” Cirovski said. “We have to be a little more purposeful in our ability to get forward. We’ll work on that.”
Next up, the Terps travel to Audi Field to take on Virginia in a Labor Day matchup. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
