Preview: Maryland men’s soccer looks to bounce back against Rutgers

Following a 2-0 loss to No. 16 Northwestern, Maryland men’s soccer (1-5-2, 0-3-1 Big Ten) looks to shake its recent struggles in another home game versus Rutgers (2-5-2, 0-2-1) Tuesday.

The game will feature a battle between the Big Ten’s bottom feeders, as Rutgers and Maryland take up the respective last two spots of the conference. 

For Maryland, it has been the program’s toughest stretch in recent memory. The team has now lost three in a row, failing to score a goal in each match. 

The Terps lost 1-0 to Penn State after conceding a turnover in their back half. Some days later, a dropped cross inside the six yard box led to a tap-in for Wisconsin, the Badgers also winning 1-0. This past Friday, Maryland recorded 15 shots, seven on goal, in comparison to Northwestern’s ten and six on goal. Still, the Terps could not capitalize on their opportunities. 

However, the game against Northwestern certainly saw a lot of positives for the Terps. 

Despite Maryland ranking last in the Big Ten in goals per game, the club looked threatening for most of the game against one of the best opponents it has faced. Three players hit the post or crossbar against the Wildcats, just barely missing out on what would have been game-changing goals.

The offensive changes have certainly been impacted by a change in formation launched by coach Sasho Cirovski. The Terps, who played the beginning of the season mostly in a 4-3-3, have been lining up in a 4-4-2 more commonly lately, with more forwards on the field. 

“We have two guys in the box constantly and that weak-sided midfielder also running in the box back post,” senior forward Stefan Copetti said. “It creates a lot of opportunities for us. Unfortunately we couldn’t capitalize [versus Northwestern], but the good thing is we’re getting in those spots.”

Maryland also shut down Northwestern star forward Justin Weiss, who had been torching previous opponents with 18 points on the season entering the game. Weiss recorded zeroes across the stat sheet, recording no shots or assists. 

“I’m very encouraged by the effort, the quality, the chances we created, the way that we played,” Cirovski said. “We deserved better than what we got.” 

As for Rutgers, the team’s struggles have been for opposite reasons than the Terps. Where Maryland’s offense has floundered, the Scarlet Knights have prospered, posting the fourth best offense in the conference with 1.3 goals per game. 

However, they just can’t keep the ball out of their own net. 

Despite its efficient offense, Rutgers is giving up a significant amount more goals than they are scoring with 1.89 goals scored against them per game. Its average scoring margin, -0.56, ranks worst in the conference. 

If Rutgers’ previous defensive showings and Maryland’s recent performance against Northwestern are any tell, the Terps should be seeing the back of the net for the first time since Sept. 14.

As for the Maryland defense, it will have to worry about graduate midfielder Jackson Temple, the Scarlet Knights’ top scorer. Temple has used his shiftiness to pick apart defenses so far this season. 

Temple has four goals and two assists to begin the season, which gives him at least double the number of points of any other Rutgers player. 

Goalkeeper Mikah Seger will do his best to thwart Temple’s efforts, as he has now all but certainly been thrown into the full time starting role until Jamie Lowell recovers from injury.

The teams will face off at 7 p.m. at Ludwig Field.