Preview: No. 20 Maryland men’s soccer vs. Virginia

After a scoreless draw versus No. 16 Wake Forest, No. 20 Maryland (1-1-1) men’s soccer gets set for its first road test of the season against Virginia (2-1-0) in Charlottesville. 

Maryland’s rollercoaster start to the season is seemingly continuing as the Terps continue to struggle to put the ball in the back of the net, scoring just two goals in their three matches (both against UNC Greensboro). 

Despite their issues finishing chances on their home field, coach Sasho Cirovski displayed confidence in the attack’s growth after the draw against Wake Forest. 

“I just think the attack sometimes with relationships takes a little longer to sort of form,” Cirovski said. “We’re also playing some really good teams right now…we’ll be better formed by fighting good teams all year.”

The positive for the Terps was the continued growth of their defense, who put up likely their best performance of the early season. Maryland was able to hold Wake Forest to a whopping zero shots on goal due to stellar play from the back line and midfield. 

“I think we can build on the clean sheet, obviously two games in a row, so we can take that to Virginia on Monday,” sophomore forward Max Riley said. 

To add to the amazing performance, Maryland completed the match without a growing key piece in the defensive midfield, freshman Leon Koehl, who missed the contest with an ankle injury. Hybrid senior defender/midfielder Alex Nitzl stepped in to receive his first start of the season in his stead and performed greatly in the 60 minutes he spent on the field.

“I’m very pleased he’s back in the mix because he’s such an important player for us … he’s such a connector, such a pivotal player for our team,” Cirovski said. 

As Riley said, the Terps will look to continue their impressive defensive play against a Virginia group that has not looked as good as advertised to start its season, which has been highlighted by a shocking 3-1 loss to Loyola Marymount. 

The Cavaliers’ two victories earned them very little respect in the polls as they were against unranked non-power-five schools, making this the first true test of their season. 

The Cavaliers should come into the match particularly hungry to earn a bit of redemption following the loss, after also being on the wrong end of a 6-1 blowout defeat against the Terps a season ago. 

Maryland will have to be careful, as any team coached by George Gelnovatch can be dangerous. Currently in his 28th season at the helm, the coach is searching for his third title with the Cavaliers, and despite Virginia’s slow start, he has quite the talented roster to do it with.

The star of the Cavaliers is senior forward Leo Afonso, who once again is leading the unit in points after scoring or assisting on every one of the team’s goals to start the year. Just a season ago Afonso also led Virginia in points (18) en route to the school’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019. 

Virginia went 9-0-1 in matches where Afonso recorded a point. Look for Maryland’s defense to try to suffocate Alfonso all game, giving him as little time on the ball as possible.

The other side of the ball is where the Cavaliers have shown vulnerabilities. This comes following the loss of Andreas Ueland this offseason, the 2022 ACC Defensive Player of the Year who had served as an anchor for Virginia’s defense for the last four years. 

The contest will likely depend on the winner of Virginia’s half of the field: Maryland’s attack or Virginia’s defense. With both not achieving its typical standards to begin the season, one will have to step up in order to decide the outcome of this game. 

Kickoff in Charlottesville is set for 7 p.m.