It was a wild scene at Ludwig Field Saturday night, after a fifth-year captain broke his eight-game goalless streak on senior night, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
After a bundle of scoring chances for the Terps in the first half, Albi Ndrenika scored the game’s lone goal in the 51st minute during No. 11 Maryland men’s soccer 1-0 victory over Ohio State.
The play began with an awkward foul on Henry Bernstein in the midfield. Ndrenika resumed play quickly, picking up the ball and getting it out to Lillian Fichelle on the wing.
Fichelle sped down the right side, circled back and gave the ball back to Ndrenika, who had plenty of space to fire a low shot past the unsuspecting Buckeyes keeper Patrick McLaughlin. A cluster of players in front of the net screened McLaughlin to aid Ndrenika’s score.
The game-winning goal was Ndrenika’s third of the season and his 10th in a Maryland uniform.
The first 15 minutes of the match were slow for both offenses, which combined for a single shot. The remainder of the first half was a complete change of pace, featuring a combined 12 shots with six going on frame.
Ohio St nearly struck first at the 19th minute mark following a corner opportunity. Maryland was able to clear the initial corner attempt, but the Buckeyes gained control quickly. They sent a ball back into the box for Martin Wurshmidt and Elijah Bishop, who were both unmarked.
Fortunately for the out-of-position backline, the ball flew over the attackers’ heads and skirted out of play to the right of Laurin Mack.
The Terps answered with multiple quality chances, sparked by their attacking midfielders, Bernstein and Ndrenika.
Their run began at the 22nd-minute mark, when Ndrenika earned the first shot of the game for the Terps. A moment later, he gained position deep in Buckeyes territory once again and crossed the ball into open space, but no one was home.
Two minutes later, Bernstein had the Terps’ best scoring chance of the half from another Ndrenika feed. By the time Bernstein had the ball, he was inches away from the Ohio State box, but McLaughlin closed the gap to make the save.
Later, Bernstein had another chance that was bound for the top corner, but McLaughlin made another fantastic, goal-saving stop.
Halfway through the first, the Buckeyes brought in a reinforcement they had been waiting a month and a half for. For the first time since their 5-0 victory over Northern Kentucky, the Buckeyes’ leading goal scorer, Isaiah Chisolm, was back on the field.
Chisholm immediately made his presence felt, getting in physical battles for the ball with the Terps defenders. His contact with Maxwell Sekyi resulted in a foul and a shove from Fichelle.
Dominic Ayella was in great form for the Terps, as he was thrust into his first start since Maryland’s brutal loss to Northwestern. Ayella had multiple scoring opportunities, logging three shots in 67 minutes.
Mack’s superb play led to seven saves and gave the Terps their second straight shutout victory. It is the first time Maryland has forced back to back shutouts this season. At the conclusion of the game, the two teams had combined for 16 shots on goal and 37 total shots.
Three things to know
1. Senior night. Saturday night’s match was senior night for Leon Koehl, Ndrenika, Zach Harris, Kenny Quist-Therson and Marco Wright. Koehl, Quist-Therson and Ndrenika were the longest tenured Terps, combining for 10,150 minutes and 13 seasons. The three midfielders have been pillars of consistency for Cirovski. Harris and Wright were transfer additions over the offseason.
2. Huskies ahead. Following their victory over the Buckeyes, Maryland will take on No. 7 Washington next, in a hostile environment in Seattle. The Huskies are led by TopDrawerSoccer’s top-ranked player, Zach Ramsey, according to the midseason top 100 rankings. Ramsey has had a blistering scoring season as the Huskies striker, scoring 17 goals in 14 games. Maryland will be looking to get some revenge as Washington knocked it out of the NCAA tournament last season during a 3-1 defeat.
3. Keeping an eye. Quist-Therson and Said El Eyssami didn’t make appearances against Ohio State for the Terps. Henry Bernstein and Lillian Fichelle also appeared to be banged up after a few collisions during the game. Injuries will be something to watch for a Maryland team that has had to work around them all season long. Keeping the squad healthy has been a major factor in their three-game win streak.