Preview: Maryland men’s soccer opens Big Ten play against No. 8 Wisconsin 

Photo courtesy of Dylan Davies/Maryland Athletics

After Maryland men’s soccer’s 1-1 draw against San Diego State on Monday, coach Sasho Cirovski said that he believes people will see a “vast improvement” over the next couple of weeks on the offensive side as the team continues to gel and grow relationships.

Maryland has another opportunity to show its progress in a matchup against No. 8 Wisconsin on Friday at Ludwig Field. But to do that, the Terps need to start turning chances into goals. 

Cirovski’s squad scored 10 goals in its first six games, but half of those scores came in one match against an outmatched Detroit Mercy. In contrast, Wisconsin has scored 16 goals in five matches. The Badgers scored multiple goals in every game except their most recent 1-0 victory over No. 16 Kentucky last Friday.

The Terps have struggled to find a consistent attacking threat to lead the line. No Maryland player has scored more than two goals this season.

The usual starting striker and joint-leading scorer, Luke van Heukelum, was injured last match and his availability is in question for Friday and beyond, leaving the squad with an even greater dearth of goal-scoring threats.

Leon Koehl has scored twice from the penalty spot, helping to bring stability to an area where Maryland was 0-4 last season. But the midfielder has yet to score from open play. 

William Kulvik scored twice against Detroit Mercy, including his show-stopping goal from behind midfield. But the center-back isn’t expected to be a consistent goal-scoring threat considering he plays in the back and only occasionally moves up into the attacking third. 

Colin Griffith may be the one to step up and provide a spark in the expected absence of van Heukelum. The junior scored his first goal since his freshman season against San Diego State. 

Griffith showed potential when he scored three goals in his first year at Maryland, but injuries and inconsistency have prevented the forward from realizing his promise. He is different from a more standard number nine as Griffith prefers to roam across the front three, often taking up space on the left side or drifting into the midfield.

“Yeah, obviously, it feels really good to get one,” Griffith said after finally getting on the scoresheet. “When you get one, more usually come. Getting one is a relief, and hopefully, I keep doing it. I feel like I will.”

Another player who could jumpstart the Terps’ offense is transfer student Max Rogers, who scored a beautiful late free-kick against Brown to seal the 2-1 victory last Friday. Rogers almost scored again against San Diego State, attempting to curl in a long-range shot that forced a diving save from the goalie.

Rogers had a long journey before joining Maryland. He lived in England and Australia before joining Fordham in 2020 and recorded five goals and eight assists during his two years there. Then, Rogers transferred to Yale, scoring five goals with 10 assists in two years. He was named a 2023 All-Ivy League First Team selection before making his way to College Park this season. 

Cirovski knows the Terps will have to finally put the pieces together to get a result against a high-quality opponent on Friday. The Badgers have allowed just two goals all season. 

“Wisconsin’s a very hot team right now,” Cirovski said. “I think they’re rightfully ranked as a top 10 team and it will be a big challenge for us.”

Cirovski’s team faces the challenge at 7:30 p.m. at Ludwig Field.