No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer (5-1-2) wraps up its homestand against Old Dominion (4-2-2) Friday in a quick break from conference action.
In their last game, the Terps registered their first clean sheet of the season in a win against their highest ranked opponent to date, then-No. 13 Ohio State. The defense stepped up in big ways against a talented Ohio State offense, and forward Max Riley’s goal in the 56th minute put Maryland ahead in the scoring column.
The Terps never looked back following Riley’s score, handing Ohio State its first loss of the season for a signature win early in conference play.
“Max Riley was the inspiration,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “He came in and gave us good work on both sides of the ball. He battled defensively. But he also held the ball and got involved in the attack.”
Riley, a freshman, played a career high 37 minutes and scored his first career goal against the Buckeyes. Despite not playing at all in the first half, Cirovski told the freshman to warm himself up at halftime so he would be ready to make a difference in the second half.
“It was good, long time coming,” Riley said. “Credit to my teammates, Stefan [Copetti] and [Joshua] Bolma … I just had to do my part and put it in the back of the net.”
Maryland enters ranked just outside the top-thirty in scoring offense and assists-per-match among all Division One schools, averaging 2.12 goals and two assists per match.
Old Dominion enters off a 0-0 draw its last time out against James Madison. However, in the two games prior, the Monarchs scored four goals apiece against VCU and Georgia Southern, showcasing the capabilities of their offense. It will be up to Maryland, who showed noticeable improvement in its defense against Ohio State compared to the Penn State match, to limit Old Dominion’s offense.
“We’ve played against some fantastic opposition and kept them to relatively low scoring,” midfielder Joe Suchecki said. “So it’s just continuing off of our work from those games, being very focused, not switching off and taking the most of every play.”
Old Dominion forward Tristan Jenkins will presumably be a defensive focus for the Terps. The graduate student has five goals on the season, currently tied for third in the Sun Belt. Jenkins ranks in the top-thirty among all Division One players in goals.
The Monarchs have allowed just five goals this season, tied for best in the Sun Belt. Goalkeeper Michael Statham has registered 35 saves this season, best in the conference, so the Terps will have their hands full trying to find the back of the net. As a team, the Monarchs average 4.62 saves-per-match, tied for 24th-best in the nation.
Despite the step down in competition compared to its conference slate, the Terps are prepared to enter with the same mentality they would have against a Big Ten program.
“I think it’s a sign of a true team when you don’t have to raise your level for any opponent,” Suchecki said. “You keep it high for everyone. So I think it shouldn’t really matter who you play.”
Kickoff against Old Dominion is set for 7 PM, and will take place at Ludwig Field in College Park.
