No. 4-seed Maryland men’s soccer head coach Sasho Cirovski emphasized the importance of dominating the flanks heading into its NCAA Tournament quarterfinal clash against Washington.
With a pair of special wingers on both sides — Sadam Masereka and Stephane Njike for the Terps and Richie Eman and Alex Hall on Washington — the outcome of the match would ultimately boil down to that area.
And it did — but not in the way Maryland hoped for.
Eman and Hall torched the Terps’ outside backs in the second half,
getting to the endline with ease. Those two players ultimately linked up for Washington’s third goal, sinking Maryland to a 3-1 defeat to end its season.
Maryland’s lack of health and carousel of substitutions at the right back position encapsulated those struggles. After missing last week’s third-round contest, Jace Clark returned to the starting lineup on Saturday.
But Clark wasn’t fully fit, and Cirovski was forced to turn to Farouk Cisse in-game. Cisse’s defensive woes caused freshman Emil Nymann Anderson to make only his second collegiate appearance late in the match. The Terps had no answers for Washington’s wide players.
After a healthy regular season, injuries ultimately caught up to Maryland in the postseason. Four key starters weren’t 100 percent — Lasse Kelp battled illness this week.
With Joseph Umberto Picotto and Kenny Quist-Therson unavailable to play, and Leon Koehl far from his usual fitness, the Terps’ depth at midfield was tested.
Cirovski entrusted Henry Bernstein with his first career start in the biggest game of the season. He delivered early on. Slotted into the Terps’ attacking midfield role, Bernstein found the game’s opening score in the 19th minute.
Bernstein’s third goal of the season was a rather fitting way to cap off the Terps’ dominant spell of possession early on.
Outside of his one-on-one difficulties, Clark was influential in the Terps’ early success, threading through balls to Sadam Masereka.
The right winger’s pace gave Washington’s backline fits, particularly left back Gabe Fernandez. With Maryland controlling the game in its attacking half, Masereka created some dangerous crosses. However, the Terps couldn’t find the back of the net.
Instead, it was the Huskies that created the first chance of the match. Midfielder Joe Dale had a one-on-one scoring opportunity in the ninth minute, but Laurin Mack covered all the angles with his outstretched hand blocking the shot.
Three minutes later, Albi Ndrenika nearly broke the deadlock. An incredible close-range save from Washington goalie Jadon Bowton denied Ndrenika.
While Maryland found the first goal, the Huskies continued to grow into the match. They found the equalizer in the 38th minute. In a rather fitting manner, Washington capitalized on its own corner scrum.
That 1-1 stalemate continued into halftime.
In Washington’s previous trips out to College Park this season — a regular season meeting and the Big Ten Tournament — it had never led at Ludwig Field. The Huskies lost both those matches without scoring. But Washington took its first lead in the 55th minute.
Dale proved down the right flank with some success. He picked out Huskies forward Charlie Kosakoff unmarked inside the box, and the striker buried it past Mack to make it 2-1.
With Maryland struggling to connect passes in the second half, Washington pinned the Terps deep in their own side of the pitch. Maryland looked rattled, and its desperation passes reflected that, with the Terps continuously dumping harmless balls forward.
Maryland’s lack of possession paved the way for Washington to double its lead. In the 69th minute, midfielder Richie Aman located midfielder Alex Hall, who netted his fifth goal of the season.
That was the last time a shot found the back of the net. After a handful of attacking sets for Maryland that amounted to nothing, the Ludwig Field scoreboard clock hit zeroes and Washington stormed the field to celebrate its College Cup berth.
Three things to know
1. Flat second half performance. Maryland has been one of the nation’s best second-half teams all season, thriving in late-game scenarios during its incredible unbeaten run. But after a strong opening 35 minutes, the Terps quickly unraveled on Saturday. Maryland failed to produce a shot on goal in the final 45 minutes, dampening its hopes of a comeback.
2. Stephane Njike struggles in the postseason. Njike was the Terps’ top offensive option throughout the regular season, netting seven goals and dishing out seven assists. But the sophomore left winger was shut down throughout Maryland’s four postseason games, often dribbling too much in possession.
3. Senior farewell. The Terps honored a dozen players on Senior Day a few weeks ago. For those 12 players and Koehl — he is headed to play with Sporting Kansas City in the MLS — Saturday afternoon was their final game at Ludwig Field. It was far from a dream ending for that group, which had their eyes set on a national championship.
