Despite being highly-ranked, No. 11 Maryland men’s soccer found itself in fifth place in the Big Ten conference, looking to clinch a postseason berth with a win over Penn State – a team it had failed to defeat for years. Prior to Wednesday’s match, the majority of the Terps’ games this season had been decided by slim margins that prevented it from becoming consistent and comfortable.
Coming back home to Ludwig Field following a narrow road loss to No. 7 Washington on Friday, Maryland was able to secure
a regular-season finale victory over Penn State with a final score of 2-0. That marked its first victory over Penn State since 2018 and its first victory by multiple goals this season.
While the Nittany Lions arrived in College Park riding momentum, having defeated Duquesne 3-1 on Oct. 28, they had nothing left to lose. Penn State was bottom of the conference standings with a record of 0-6-3 beforeWednesday’s fixture.
Maryland made it clear it was looking to score and score fast in the first half. Within the first few minutes of the game, Maryland fired multiple shots on Penn State goalkeeper Justin Ross.
Relentlessly, Maryland’s attack pressed on, creating an opportunity for Maryland’s assist leader Henry Bernstein to pass the ball to Rodrigo Neri. The forward then found captain Albi Ndrenika, who buried a low-center goal in the seventh minute of play for his fourth score of the season.
Ndrenika’s goal served as a wake-up call for the Nittany Lions, who began attacking Maryland’s defense more fiercely. Regardless, Maryland showed its strength on both sides of the pitch, shutting down Penn State’s playmakers before they could find their best goalscorers. It wasn’t until the 19th minute that Penn State recorded its first shot on goal; that was routinely saved by Maryland goalkeeper Laurin Mack.
Penn State forward Etienne Reck made a run following a goal kick by Ross that gave him space to shoot inside Maryland’s box. However, Maryland’s defense blocked Reck’s shot, preventing Penn State from finding its equalizer.
In the 33rd minute, Penn State delivered a corner kick that nearly resulted in a close-range goal. However, Mack instinctively dove to make the save.
Following his save, Mack initiated a counterattack, sending the ball to the left wing where Henry Bernstein delivered a cross to Dominic Ayella. But with quick reflexes, Ross stopped the thunderous shot.
The Terps continued to play with fierce intensity. The game became more physical, with the teams recording a combined 12 fouls as the first half began to wind down. With less than 30 seconds left on the clock, Ayella played a through ball for Marco Wright, who narrowly missed high, keeping the score at 1-0 to end the first half.
Coming out of halftime, Maryland continued to apply strong offensive pressure, forcing Ross to make demanding saves. Similarly, Penn State spent its first second-half trying to force its way through Maryland’s defense with ball movement.
The Terps remained a threat. With one simple counterattack in the 54th minute, Maryland forward Rocket Ritarita delivered a pinpoint shot to the bottom right corner that Ross just managed to get his hand to, keeping the Nittany Lions at a one goal deficit.
Three minutes later, defender Lillian Fichelle found midfielder Zack Harris, who delivered a far-corner cross from outside the box to Ayella. His strong, bouncing header found the back of the net, doubling Maryland’s lead.
Despite being close with each other on the stat sheet, Maryland firmly held its lead. But disaster struck for Maryland in the 74th minute when Ljubomir Popovic committed a foul as the last defender on a Penn State attack, resulting in a red card for the Maryland defender.
Penn State was at a clear advantage after Maryland’s rejection, and because of that, it began attempting to overload the Terps’ defense. But even a man down, the Terps managed to hold off the Nittany Lions to the very end, clinching a Big Ten tournament berth.
Three things to know
1. The offense dominated. In Wednesday’s matchup, Maryland recorded 18 shots — with nine on frame — and capitalized on defensive errors that allowed it to take control of the game.
2. Popovic’s suspension could be concerning. The defender has been crucial to Maryland’s success, finding the goal on 40% of his shots and recording six assists in the season for the Terps. His red card suspension could create an opportunity for other teams to exploit moving forward.
3. Momentum going into the Big Ten tournament. Following the win from Wednesday’s match, Maryland now looks to carry its momentum into a challenging postseason.
“We know how deep we have to dig,” Ndrenika said. “…It’s matured a lot of our guys, and they know how hard it’s gonna be, and, yeah, we’re ready for it.”
