Joseph Umberto Picotto’s journey in his first season representing No. 8 Maryland men’s soccer has been far from ordinary. After starting the first two games of the 2025 campaign, the UMBC transfer battled
an illness, which sidelined him for a month of action.
While it took some time for Umberto Picotto to get back to full health, his return has deepened the Terps’ midfield unit. Against Ohio State Saturday, the senior’s stellar in-season form continued.
Within the game’s opening minute, Umberto Picotto netted his second goal of the season — he scored his first in the Terps’ last match. That early score gave Maryland enough first-half offense to ultimately take down Ohio State, 4-0.
The Terps are now unbeaten through 12 games for the first time since 2017 and are one of six Division I teams without a loss this season.
Head coach Sasho Cirovski has continuously emphasized that Maryland holds 18-19 starting-caliber players on its roster. That showed in Saturday’s contest. Without Leon Koehl and Chris Steinleitner positioned in front of the backline, the Terps were forced to turn to a pair of different faces.
They didn’t miss a step, though.
Umberto Picotto and Farouk Cisse started as the Terps’ holding midfielders, sitting deep in the midfield trio. But early on, Umberto Picotto drifted forward to stack numbers in Maryland’s initial attack. He found success just 46 seconds into the game.
From the left wing, Stephane Njike chipped a dangerous cross into a packed six-yard box. The ball bounced around before finding the UMBC transfer’s boot. Umberto Picotto drilled his close-range effort past Ohio State goalie Max Trejo, but the shot was blocked by a defender. However, video review determined the defender was inside the goalline, and Maryland was granted the 1-0 lead.
That was the Terps’ lone shot on frame in the opening 45 minutes. While Cirovski got the dream road start he had hoped for, Maryland’s level dropped after the early goal, allowing the Buckeyes to find their footing.
Ohio State created a number of quality first-half chances, but Laurin Mack was equal to them. The standout sophomore netminder entered Saturday’s contest without allowing a goal in 323 minutes of play. His prowess between the pipes kept Maryland’s lead intact against Ohio State.
Mack totalled three first-half stops, including a pair off Buckeye midfielder Ashton Bilow. He didn’t face any threatening chances in the second half.
The Terps didn’t generate waves of attacking pressure against Ohio State, but they were ruthless in front of goal. Maryland finished off four of its seven shots on goal — one of its most clinical showings of the season.
After creating a pair of dangerous shots in quick succession, the Terps added some insurance in the 66th minute. Sadam Masereka tracked down a ball over the top and had an extra step on his defender before getting tugged down in the box.
Without Maryland’s typical penalty kick taker Koehl in the lineup, the duty fell to Masereka. He stepped up to the spot and buried the shot past the goalkeeper’s right side to double the lead.
10 minutes later, Umberto Picotto delivered a dangerous free kick to the back post, which found Kenny Quist-Therson. The junior headed home for his first goal of the season. Henry Bernstein added another score in the 85th minute after receiving a slip pass from Rocket Ritarita.
Three things to know
1. Four consecutive shutouts. The Terps’ defense has been dominant at Ludwig Field and on the road, culminating in a stretch of over 400 minutes without allowing a goal. Maryland has outscored its last three Big Ten opponents by seven goals, fueling a 5-0-2 record in conference play.
2. Freshman impact late. After combining for five goals early on in the season, the Terps’ freshman class hasn’t had the same impact during Big Ten play. Ritarita and Bernstein linked up for Maryland’s fourth goal of the game on a nifty passing sequence.
3. Another home test awaits. Maryland’s stretch at home recently has been far from easy, with back-to-back ranked clashes against No. 13 Rutgers and No. 16 Michigan. While the Terps have passed those challenges, they are set to face Indiana on Friday in a matchup of two perennial powerhouses.
