Preview: Maryland men’s soccer hopes to continue historical dominance versus No. 25 Georgetown

On Monday, Maryland’s men’s soccer team will begin its season against No. 25 Georgetown at Shaw Field in Washington, D.C. Maryland’s season opener — scheduled initially against Wake Forest on Thursday — was cancelled due to weather, making its contest against the Hoyas its season opener.

Maryland led the Demon Deacons 1-0 entering the halftime break before lightning caused an hour-long delay. The match was then declared a no-decision.

The Terps have an advantage against the Hoyas with a historical record of 30-6-2, but in last season’s matchup, No. 16 Georgetown defeated the Terps 2-0 at Ludwig Field.  

Georgetown lost its first game of the season against High Point University 2-1. Junior midfielder Matthew Van Horn and freshman midfielder Tim Logan led the Hoya’s attack in its first game as Van Horn tallied three shots on goal, while Logan scored the Hoyas’ lone goal. 

The Hoyas have many returning players, including Van Horn, senior Zach Zengue and sophomores Mitchell Baker and Tate Lampman, who were selected to the preseason All-BIG EAST squad. 

Last season Zengue ranked second on the team with three goals and a squad-best seven assists for 13 points on the year. Baker scored a season-best two goals at Maryland on Aug. 25 last season and Lampman was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and started 20 games.

Maryland enters the season with three players named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list: Luca Costabile, Leon Koehl and Sadam Masereka. Costabile is a senior headlining the back row for the Terps this season. Junior Koehl was named to the  All-Big Ten First Team last season, while senior Masereka recorded four goals and two assists.

The Terps brought in seven incoming freshmen and recently signed defender Farouk Cisse. Freshmen newcomers include Luke Burdett, Mateo Caride, Rocket Ritarita, Henry Bernstein, Alexander Milosevic, Emil Nymann Anderson and Casey Price. 

Cisse spent 2019-2023 with Borussia Dortmund in the U19 Bundesliga and won a championship with them in 2022. He played over 3,000 minutes, started 42 matches and played a total of 48 matches while with Dortmund. 

Forward Ritarita was ranked as the No. 35 recruit in the country by Top Drawer Soccer and was named MLS NEXT U16 Cup MVP. 

The Terps also have two senior transfers from UMBC. Joseph Umberto Picotto will play midfield and Lasse Kelp will add to the defensive unit. 

Sophomore forward Stephane Njike joined the Terps from Long Island University, where he finished his season with six goals, five assists and 17 points, all highest on the team. 

Senior Tristen Rose has also joined from Charleston, where he was named a 2024 Division II Second Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches and led the Golden Eagles to the 2024 Division II National Championship.

Last season, the Terps netted 33 goals, and the players responsible for 25 of them will be returning for the 2025 season. They finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 9-6-5and a Big Ten record of 5-3-2. 

The Terps secured their 10th NCAA Tournament win under head coach Sasho Cirovski in the first round but then lost to Wake Forest in the second round. 

Cirvoski is confident for the upcoming 2025 season and has stated that he is “excited about the challenge that this schedule will pose for our squad as we head into the season,” and “the goal at Maryland as always is to strive for excellence and compete for championships.” He also stated that there is a “strong group of returning players and talented newcomers coming into the fold,” to help the Terps succeed this season.