No. 5-seed Maryland men’s soccer enters Sunday’s fixture against No. 4-seed Michigan State with aspirations for its fourth Big Ten tournament championship under head coach Sasho Cirovski. The Spartans will be looking to defeat the Terps for the second time this season.
The game will be played at 1 p.m. in Bloomington, Indiana, home of the top-seeded Hoosiers. The winner of this match will have their chance at revenge against the hosts and regular-season Big Ten champions.
The contest will be televised
on the Big Ten Network.
What happened last time
The last time the Spartans and Terps faced off was a month ago in a top-20 matchup, when Maryland was ranked No. 7 and Michigan State at No. 20. The Spartans came into Ludwig Field and handed the Terps their first home loss in nearly two years, 2-1.
The Spartans opened the scoring off a Terps own goal. In the 17th minute, Spartans forward Ritchie Ludwig took a corner for the Spartans, and his ball deflected off a Terps defender and into the net.
In the 34th minute, Maryland answered off the foot of Said El Eyssami, with assists from Albi Ndrenika and Dennis Kalanzi.
Ultimately, in the 66th minute, forward Andrew Darakdijan scored the game-winner for Michigan State after a Will Eby cross. Despite a few late chances for the Terps, they couldn’t find the equalizer.
The game came amidst a rough patch for the Terps’ defense, where they allowed two or more goals in four of five games. It is also worth noting that the Terps were missing midfielder Leon Koehl.
What’s happened since
The two teams have gone in different directions since their October matchup. The Spartans only grabbed a single conference win, going 1-2-2 in their final five Big Ten games. The Terps, on the other hand, caught their stride with three wins and a close loss.
The squads played some common opponents in the second half of the Big Ten season. The Terps defeated Michigan, 3-2, while the Spartans tied with the Wolverines, 1-1. Both teams defeated Ohio State by a goal, but Michigan State drew with No. 6 Washington, 1-1, while Maryland fell, 2-1.
The Terps ended the season on a high note with a 2-0 victory over Penn State for their first multi-goal win. After beating Green Bay, 3-0, the Spartans ended their year on a skid with an ugly 4-1 defeat to Rutgers and a one-goal loss to No. 4 Indiana.
Maryland has fallen to No. 11 in the rankings while Michigan State has risen to No. 16. In terms of RPI, the primary ranking system for the NCAA tournament, the Terps are ranked No. 5 with Michigan State at No. 11.
Three things to watch
1. No Ljubomir Popovic. Maryland will be missing a key piece of its backline after junior defender Popovic was booked for a red card in the previous game. Popovic will have to serve a one-game suspension but will be available for the Terps next match. Not only does Popovic excel as a defender, but he is also a valuable piece for Maryland’s set pieces.
2. Do you need assistance? The Spartans and Terps have found success in similar formats on offense, combining for 92 assists this season. Michigan State is first with 52, and Maryland is second with 40. Both squads have a multitude of unselfish playmakers in the midfield and attacking thirds to open up quality scoring chances.
3. Not the top dog. After being the regular-season Big Ten champions last season, the pressure got to the Terps in the Big Ten tournament, getting upset at home by four-seed UCLA. This season, the Terps enter the bracket without a target on their backs as Indiana and Washington have prevailed as the two premier teams in the conference.
