After becoming the No. 1 ranked team in the nation Thursday, the Maryland Terrapins had an opportunity to back up their new tag Friday night.
In their regular season finale at DeMartin Stadium, despite
late pressure, the Terps did just that, taking down Michigan State, 4-3. Maryland won its first Big Ten regular season title since 2022, and finished the year unbeaten for the first time since 2016.
Senior forward Sadam Masereka led the way with three first half goals, helping to finish a historic regular season.
Masereka’s first goal came in the 22nd minute off a pass from senior Luca Costabile. His second was a short goal from a rebound off a deflected shot. His hat-track night was clinched from a crossing pass by sophomore Stephane Njike that ricocheted off multiple defenders. Masereka then played the ball briefly and ushered a strike to the lower-left side of the net.
That score was Masereka’s ninth of the year, which now leads the Terps and is good for the third- highest total in the Big Ten.
Throughout the night, the Terps’ offense kept them afloat. To start, both teams traded attacks and pressures around the box. Michigan State came out of the gate with energy as underdogs, looking to spoil Maryland’s fight for glory. And for the first 20 minutes of action, the Spartans did a nice job containing the nation’s second-highest ranked offense.
However, once Maryland was able to untie the knot, things began to roll.
After Masereka’s first score in the 22nd minute, his next two scores came within a span of 11 minutes. The Terps’ pace and sharp attacks began to overwhelm the Spartans. Maryland ultimately generated 17 total shots, with 10 on goal. On defense, it held Michigan State to only six.
At halftime, the score was 3-1. The Terps were in control, making it their duty to not let their regular season title hopes rest on the results of Washington and UCLA.
A key part to Maryland controlling the pace was goalie Laurin Mack’s utilization as a neutralizer. The sophomore made a save and helped to orchestrate both the offense and defense throughout the second half.
The Spartans did add scores in 66th and 83rd minutes, keeping the Terps honest. But the late effort wasn’t enough to spoil Masereka’s first-half hat trick. The Terps led the entire night, and an 80th minute score by Stephane Njike kept enough cushion on the lead.
The Terps have now extended a winning streak against Michigan State, whom they have not lost against since 2018.
Three things to know
1. Champions. Maryland is one of two unbeaten teams in the NCAA this regular season, alongside Vermont. They joined Vanderbilt as the two teams with 12 wins on the year.
2. Home field advantage. The Terps clinching the No. 1 seed on Friday means they will host the Big Ten Tournament at home on Ludwig Field. The conference tournament is set to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Maryland will play in the 7 p.m. game against No. 4-seed UCLA on Big Ten Network. The two teams tied 0-0 back on Oct. 3.
3. Red-hot momentum. The Terps have won six games in a row since their tie with UCLA, which is now over a month ago. They also completed the season with an 8-0-2 record in Big Ten play.
