In the 85th minute of its game against Michigan, No. 14 Maryland men’s soccer appeared to be sputtering toward another Big Ten draw. The Wolverines had fought back onto level terms, with Guy Michaeli heading home off a corner kick.
But the skillful Terps received a little luck.
Maryland pressed from the kickoff, and less than 30 seconds after the Wolverines’ goal, chaos ensued on the other end of the field. Dominic Ayella’s cross from the wing was misplayed by a Wolverine defender high and into the nylon, giving Maryland the game-winner in a last-gasp, 3-2 victory.
The Wolverines forced the issue early, launching four shots in the first five minutes of the game. In the eighth minute, the Terps logged their first shot of the game, and it was converted beautifully by Henry Bernstein.
Franklin Affanyi began the play with a hopeful through ball all the way from the backline into the attacking third. Bernstein received the pass and rocketed a shot to the top-left corner. He caught Wolverines keeper Isaiah Goldsen off guard, and the ball flew into the net for Bernstein’s second goal of the season.
However, the early lead only lasted for 25 minutes. The Terps’ backline made a goal-conceding mistake — an all too familiar sight this season.
Goldsen pushed the ball forward with a long boot from within the Michigan half. The Wolverines leading goalscorer, Grayson Elmquist, slipped behind the Terps’ backline and was the first to the ball. Elmquist fired a shot past goalkeeper Laurin Mack, earning his fifth goal of the season.
Prior to Friday’s match, the Terps had held opponents to an average of 11 shots per game. After the first half, the Wolverines already had 10 — as many as they average per game.
That came despite the return of a key midfield starter in Leon Koehl. Koehl hadn’t played for Maryland in two weeks, and his return gave the Terps an edge they had been missing offensively. The midfield trio of Koehl, Bernstein and Albi Ndrenika combined for four shots on goal.
The second half began with each team stuck at one goal, struggling to gain consistent possession in a defensive battle. But out of nowhere, each team had shots that nearly broke the deadlock.
In the 63rd minute, Dylan Davis sped down the left sideline and made a move to create a two-on-one with Landon Strohmeyer. Davis managed to slide a pass to Strohmeyer, but he was stymied by Mack. That stop propelled Mack atop the Big Ten in total saves.
“Laurin’s played extremely well the last few games,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “He’s playing at the level everyone expects him to play.”
A few minutes later, Ndrenika fired a shot of his own from 20 yards out, lacing the ball over the outstretched arms of Goldsen. However, the shot careened off the post.
Goldsen had made just two starts on the season prior to Friday’s match, but through 74 minutes, the senior had an impressive game with seven saves to keep the game tied at one. But Ljubomir Popovic’s goal directly off a corner kick gave the Terps their second lead of the game.
Popovic has taken charge of the Terps’ corner kicks since his insertion into the starting lineup, and Friday’s goal showed why. The junior defender struck an olympico through the fingertips of Goldsen, off the backpost and into the net.
“We’ve been working on set pieces for a while and that was just one he whipped in well,” Cirovski said. “When you put the ball in dangerous places good things happen and that’s what he did.”
His first goal as a Terp proved crucial in securing the win after the teams traded blows in the closing moments of the contest.
Three things to know
1. Eyes for the goal. Entering Friday’s match, Maryland averaged six shots on goal per game. Michigan was without its leading defender, Will Baker, and the Terps took advantage, firing 11 shots on goal — including six in the second half — on 17 total shots. It was the first time the Wolverines had allowed three goals in Big Ten play.
2. Sekyi sighting. Maxwell Sekyi made his first start of the season for Maryland, replacing Lillian Fichelle in the backline. The Ghana native is listed as a defender and midfielder; Cirovski started him as a centerback alongside Farouk Cisse. Sekyi played all 90 minutes and was awarded an assist on the Bernstein goal.
“He’s a great example of what we tell our players from day one,” Cirovski said. “You gotta be ready. You could go from 0 to 90 minutes at any time.”
3. Tournament toss-up. Every remaining conference match for the Terps may be considered a must-win given their sixth-place spot in the conference entering Friday. Only the top six teams enter the Big Ten tournament, and before the Michigan matchup, the Terps stood one point ahead of Northwestern and Wisconsin. Scraping the win in Ann Arbor was a huge boost to the Terps’ tournament chances.