On a night where Stephane Njike created chance after chance on the left wing, it was only fitting that the sophomore forward buried Maryland men’s soccer’s opening score against Pittsburgh.
Njike’s pace and creativity on the ball led to several dangerous crosses early on. In the 48th minute, he was the recipient of a golden opportunity produced on the opposite side of the pitch.
After breaking through the Panthers’ initial press, Leon Koehl played the ball over the top to Sadam Masereka. The senior
just barely got to the ball before the incoming defender and poked the ball across the field to Njike. He took a few touches away from his defender, faked out the goalie and calmly tucked it home.
Njike’s goal kickstarted the scoring in an evenly-matched contest Friday night. While the Terps allowed their first goal from open play, the last-minute goal was inconsequential in their 2-1 victory. Maryland is now unbeaten through six games for the first time since 2017.
“I felt like [Stephane] had a great first half and deserved a goal,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “And sure enough, he came out and finished the one. We needed Sadam to be a little more clinical with his final third deliveries and he did. It was great that they combined for the first goal, exactly what we had hoped would happen.”
The Terps have been a second half team all season, generating 11 of their 16 goals in the final 45 minutes. That trend continued against a perennial NCAA Tournament powerhouse.
There was not much to separate the two sides in the opening half. While Maryland dominated possession, it lacked a final product in the attacking third. The Terps’ best chances came off its winger play, but no one showed up in the box to convert it.
Early on, Maryland pinned Pitt in its defensive half, probing a compact defense with long spells of possession. The Panthers’ backline didn’t waver, handling the consistent pressure and keeping the Terps out of the box.
Pitt finally broke out of its defensive shell in the fifth minute, with a pair of shots from Josh Hardin and Gavin Wetzel. However, neither chance really challenged Laurin Mack, resulting in comfortable stops.
After halting the Panthers’ half chances, the Terps regained the momentum. And the changing of the tide resulted in Maryland’s best chances of the first half.
In the 27th minute, Rocket Ritarita took a few dribbles away from his defender and fired a shot at the near post. Pitt goalie Jack Moxom was up for the challenge. With the first half winding down, Njike rifled his shot toward the bottom right corner, but Moxom’s diving effort kept the game scoreless.
While the Terps produced 10 shots in the opening half, only three were sent on goal. But Maryland’s prolific attack finally broke through in the second half, looking like a much more clinical frontline.
Njike’s goal broke open the floodgates, and Maryland kept its foot on the gas pedal. The Terps created nine chances in the second half and finished with 19 total looks.
With nine minutes left in the game, Kenny Quist-Therson poked the ball behind the Panthers’ backline. Masereka was on the receiving end, and the senior buried the shot between Moxom’s legs to double the Terps’ advantage.
But Pitt added a last-minute goal to prevent Maryland’s fourth clean sheet. Jakob Lopping’s 89th-minute score was the result of some heavy legs in the backline.
Despite Luke van Heukelum and Albi Ndrenika battling illnesses heading into the game, the Terps’ depth allowed them to overcome those key absences to starters.
Three things to know
1. Perfect nonconference play. Maryland typically builds one of the strongest out of conference schedules in the country, and this season was no different. The Terps scheduled four NCAA Tournament teams from last season and came out the difficult slate nearly unscathed, with just a draw halting its perfect record.
2. Ritarita makes first career start. Not many freshmen make immediate impacts in college soccer, but Ritarita has made a case to be the top first-year in the nation. He has two goals and four assists as a vital bench contributor. Ritarita finally cracked the starting lineup tonight with van Heukelum not feeling at 100 percent.
3. Packed schedule ahead. With Big Ten play picking back up next week, Maryland’s schedule becomes game-heavy. The Terps play two games with short turnarounds, starting on Tuesday with Penn State.
