“We don’t post standings in the locker room,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We don’t talk about standings.”
With the final three regular season matches on the horizon and a fight for the Big Ten regular season championship on the line, No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer (7-2-4, 3-0-3) is keeping the same approach as it prepares for a pivotal Friday night matchup against Michigan State (6-5-2, 3-1-1).
Despite the fact the Terps are currently tied in the standings with Indiana — who they play in their final match of the season — and can fall behind to the Spartans with a loss, Cirovski’s club is taking a one-match-at-a-time approach.
“There’s so much outside of your control,” Cirovski said. “The only thing you can control is your performance and your ability to get points. So right now our goal is to play well on Friday and have a chance to get maximum points.”
On the heels of a three-match winless streak, the Terps are looking to return to the form they exhibited throughout their nine-match unbeaten streak. The Terps’ longest unbeaten streak since 2017 was snapped in their last match, when they fell to High Point, 2-1.
Following two straight draws against Northwestern and Wisconsin, Maryland expected to secure a much-needed victory over a non-conference opponent. That didn’t prove to be the case, as the trend of being “the most gracious team in America,” as Cirovski stated, continued.
Despite only registering two shots on goal and one goal scored, High Point put two points on the board and upset the Terps in dramatic fashion.
Maryland defender William Kulvik scored an own-goal while trying to clear the ball over the net in the 49th minute. In the 76th minute, midfielder Brendan Kreuger found forward Sebastian Chalbaud on a breakaway who put the ball in the back of the net.
Two quick momentum shifters, one completely caused by Maryland’s own carelessness, was enough to give the Panthers the feel-good win and leave the Terps wanting one more chance.
“It’s up to us to make sure that every second we play, every minute, we can’t have a lapse in concentration, we can’t have a lapse in effort,” midfielder Joe Suchecki said. “I think for the last five games, every goal that was scored against us was preventable. We just have to work on sealing those gaps and we’ll be very successful.”
Looking ahead to Friday’s bout with Michigan State, the Spartans are currently tied for second in the Big Ten with 10 total points. Winners of four of its last five, Damon Rensing’s club is riding high and looking to continue its momentum through the end of the regular season.
Senior goalkeeper Owen Finnerty, currently third in Big Ten in saves per match (4.46), will be a tough matchup for Maryland’s offense as it looks to find the back of the net more than it did against High Point.
The Spartans also rank third in the conference in assists (26), and possess a balanced scoring attack with 11 different goal scorers on the season.
The offensive leaders for Michigan State are forwards Greyson Mercer and Jonathan Stout, who each have 10 points on the year. Defender Will Perkins has also been a factor with nine total points.
With the stakes high, both teams will presumably come out on the front foot and put in a full, 90-minute effort. The team that executes the most will come out on top.
“I think the season is in our hands,” Suchecki said. “Can’t take anything for granted. We just have to keep working every day.”
The match begins at 7 p.m. and will take place at Ludwig Field in College Park.
