No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer hits the road for its next couple matches, with a date against Rutgers Tuesday on the horizon.
Following a victory over Old Dominion their last time out, the Terps are looking to avoid a loss for the seventh straight match.
The match against the Monarchs was a low scoring affair, with the only goal from either side coming off midfielder Malcolm Johnston’s penalty kick in the 44th minute. The penalty kick came after defender Nick Richardson was fouled towards the edge of the box by Old Dominion defender Jan Marpe. The goal was Johnston’s fourth of the season, all on penalty kicks.
“Malcolm is a very composed individual,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “He’s very confident. He’s been money so far [on penalty kicks], and that’s not easy. And I think he’s got a good feel for it right now.”
Outside of Johnston’s match-clinching goal, Maryland’s defense stepped up to record its second straight shutout. After not recording a clean sheet through the first seven matches, the defense seems to be hitting its stride through the thick stages of conference play.
Despite the shutout, Cirovski felt Old Dominion had too many chances offensively due to his team’s own carelessness. Cirovski said that while goalkeeper Jamie Lowell had the best performance of his Maryland tenure, he shouldn’t have faced so many tough shots throughout the match. He felt that Old Dominion’s first two shots, which came off turnovers on backpasses, allowed the Monarchs to break away for excellent chances early.
“We have to be a little bit more careful with giving the ball away in our half of the field,” Cirovski said. “They got two good chances off [turnovers]. That builds a team’s confidence.”
The Terps, sitting atop the Big Ten standings, will face a challenge in a Rutgers team that has only lost one match on the season and is undefeated in Big Ten slate thus far.
In its last match against No. 11 Ohio State, neither team could create an advantage in a 2-2 draw. After forward MD Myers scored in the 32nd minute to give Rutgers the early lead, Ohio State scored two unanswered goals. The Buckeyes held onto their 2-1 lead all the way until 89:58, when defender Thomas Devizio scored a buzzer-beating goal off an assist from midfielder/forward Cole Cruthers to end the game in a tie.
Rutgers currently owns the top two goal scorers in the Big Ten in Myers and midfielder/forward Jackson Temple, who have seven and five goals, respectively. In addition, midfielder/forward Jason Bouregy ranks in the top 10 with three goals on the season.
The Scarlet Knights average 2.4 goals scored and allow 1.8 per game. Their 24 goals on the season are by far the most in the Big Ten, with Maryland and Indiana tied for the next most (18). The match should be highly competitive with one of the Big Ten’s most potent offenses going up against one of the best defenses.
“Rutgers will be a great test,” Johnston said. “We want to go there, outwork them. We have a chip on our shoulder.”
Maryland and Rutgers are currently tied –– along with Michigan State –– for the number one spot in the Big Ten with a .833 winning percentage and seven total points.
In last season’s matchup between the two programs, neither side could find the back of the net in a double-overtime draw. Despite Maryland’s 14 shot attempts, Rutgers goalkeeper Oren Asher made seven saves and kept the Terps out of the scoring column. Both sides will search for more of an offensive punch this time around.
Kickoff on Tuesday from Yurcak Field in Piscataway is set for 7 p.m.
