Maryland men’s soccer (3-6-3, 0-4-2 Big Ten) looks to pick up its first conference win in a potential season-defining game versus Indiana (6-3-4, 2-1-2) on Friday.
Maryland sits in last in the Big Ten despite a determined effort against Michigan State that earned the team a 2-2 draw.
However, the Terps are still unhappy with the result, as they went up 2-0 early in the first half and held the lead for 75 minutes of the game, but were still dealt a tie.
Sophomore forward Jonathan Stout scored the game-tying goal in the 77th minute, ripping away what would have been a potentially season changing win straight from the Terps’ hands.
“I’m very disappointed to only get a tie out of this game,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “[We did not] find a way to see it out.”
Now, Maryland is in a race with Ohio State for the final spot in the Big Ten tournament. However, Ohio State has played one less conference game, further adding to the mountain the Terps have to climb for a spot.
This makes the upcoming game against Indiana one of the most high pressure games of many young Maryland player’s careers, as it could be the difference in having a chance at the Big Ten tournament.
“It’s basically the season on the line,” sophomore Matias de Jesus said. “It’s a playoff game for us … if we get a win tomorrow it can really drive the momentum for the last two games of the regular season.”
However, Indiana will be no easy opponent for the Terps. The Hoosiers have the best defense in the conference, allowing just 0.62 goals per game. With Maryland’s offense having become stagnant in the second half of the Michigan State game, it will be essential that the Terps recapture some of their fire from the previous few games.
As for the other side of the ball, Indiana will be looking to capitalize on a Maryland defense that is being forced to regroup after the team’s last two games. Maryland has given up six goals in just their last two matches, but senior defender Kento Abe still has confidence moving forward.
“Of course we’ll be attacking and being aggressive a lot but really focusing on not to concede, not to let easy mistakes,” Abe said. “We have to be really composed and aggressive at the same time.”
The Maryland defense will have the advantage of going against the second worst offense in the Big Ten as opposed to going against the conference’s third-best last game at Michigan State. Indiana scores just one goal per game, thriving in defensive matches with their opponents.
The Indiana offense has really circulated around junior Samuel Sarver this season, who possesses doubles the points of every other Hoosier with 14. The forward has proven his dual threat ability this year, putting in nearly as many assists as goals thus far.
Maryland will also have in its favor that Indiana has not been a great road team this season. The Hoosiers are just 1-2-2 this year as the visiting team so far.
Should Maryland win this game, it will put the team one step closer to controlling its destiny in the race versus Ohio State. The two sides will play each other in their last games of the regular season.
Ohio State has no cupcake of a schedule to end the year, with a road matchup against Michigan State waiting, making a Maryland win versus the Hoosiers all the more likely to cause a great end of season finish.
Despite all the pressure weighing down on the team’s shoulders, the Terps still feel that they are in control of their own destiny as the season winds down.
“I think we have the confidence that we can beat anyone in the country,” de Jesus said.
That will be put to the test versus the Hoosiers at 8:30 on Friday at Ludwig Field.
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