Coming off of a draw in its last match against Penn State, No. 9 Maryland men’s soccer (4-1-2) looks to bounce back against its toughest opponent to date, No. 13 Ohio State (5-0-3).
The Terps, despite registering their second-best scoring output of the season, also allowed their most goals, leading to a 3-3 tie.
The energy was high at Ludwig Field for the Terps’ conference home opener against the defending conference champion Nittany Lions. Maryland searched for its first victory against Penn State since 2018.
After registering a handful of early shot attempts, the Terps struck first on a Nick Richardson goal in the 17th minute. Richardson’s score was the fifth goal by a Maryland defender on the season, a key indicator that the team is making an effort to diversify its offensive attack.
“I think we’ve become less predictable,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “I feel good about… finding ways to score different goals and getting them in different ways.”
Other goals for the Terps came from midfielders Griffin Dillon and Malcolm Johnston in the 51st and 70th minutes, respectively. Dillon found the back of the net from close range to even up the score at two, his second goal of the season.
Johnston’s penalty kick gave Maryland the 3-2 lead following a foul on forward Max Riley. The score was Johnston’s third goal of the season, the team lead.
Maryland will search to clean up the defensive side of the ball, as despite outpacing the Nittany Lions 19:8 on shot attempts, seven of Penn State’s eight shots were on target.
“We have to be a little bit more precise in our build up and recognize danger,” Cirovski said. “At times we’ve gotten a little too comfortable and casual, so we have to take that part of our game out.”
Maryland enters with the second best scoring margin (0.86) among Big Ten schools, trailing only its opponent, Ohio State (1.12).
Cleaning up the defense will not be an easy task against an Ohio State team that’s third in the Big Ten in goals scored (14), only behind Maryland and Rutgers.
Ohio State enters the match still without a loss on the season, but the Buckeyes have drawn three times. The Buckeyes had a defensive showdown in their last match against Cleveland State, as neither team found the net in a 0-0 draw. However, the match prior, Ohio State defeated Indiana in its conference opener, 2-1.
Four Buckeyes have received Big Ten Player of the Week honors this season in midfielders Laurence Wootton, Marko Borkovic and Xavier Green, in addition to goalkeeper Keagan McLaughlin. At least one player has received the award through each of the four weeks of the season.
Borkovic, Green and Wootton each have multiple goals on the season, and seven others have one.
Both Maryland and Ohio State rank top three in the Big Ten in goals allowed. However, the Buckeyes’ defense is on another level from the rest, only allowing a staggering five goals through their first eight games. The pressure will be on Maryland to break down Ohio State’s defense early and often.
“We’ve got a really good Ohio State team, probably the best team they’ve had in the last 10, 12 years,” Cirovski said. “And I think Sunday will be a crucial match for us in the Big Ten regular season.”
The match on Sunday will take place at Ludwig Field in College Park. Kickoff is set for 1 PM.
