Stefan Copetti scored the game’s lone goal.
Maryland men’s soccer finally captured a desired result Saturday, and it came on the program’s senior night.
With family and friends in the bleachers, team leader Stefan Copetti raced for the ball in the 38th minute as it flew down the sideline. Winning a footrace against a Bowling Green defender, Copetti sent in a strike from the top of the box.
As fans watched with anticipation, the ball snuck inside the right post, marking Copetti’s second score of the season, helping to aid the Terps (2-6-2) in their 1-0 win over the Falcons.
“A lot of emotions, you know, with my time here in Maryland coming to an end pretty soon,” Copetti said. “Being able to score in front of (my family), they’ve done so much for me to get me to this point. I made a ton of sacrifices and I’m just so proud and happy that I was able to score.”
Saturday marked Maryland’s first win since Aug. 27.
“It feels great to get a win,” Cirovski said. “We never lost belief in the guys or the way we do things. I thought they played with great resolve, great humility and a great effort.”
Maryland applied a bevy of offensive pressure in the opening minutes. Through balls by the central midfielders split Bowling Green’s defense, causing chaos in the attacking third. The Terps’ score-at-whatever-cost strategy was highlighted early, as at times, they packed the middle of the box with close to nine players.
Still, wide misses and routine saves hindered the Terps in the opening parts of the game. On the other side, Maryland’s defense held up well, aggressively pinching up the sidelines to cut off passes.
Yet, the Falcons still captured the first two major scoring opportunities of the match. A header goal was wiped away by an offside call and then goalkeeper Jamie Lowell made a world-class leg-kick save on a breakaway to keep the score knotted at zero.
“My defenders have my back all the time so I try and just stay on the line and have theirs when they need my help,” Lowell said.
In the 30th minute, Cirovski brought in forwards Kimani Stewart-Baynes and Colin Griffith to infuse speed and creativity into the match. While this change brought improved ball movement in tight spaces around the box, it also prompted Maryland to seek the perfect shot, resulting in over-dribbling instead of taking the available striking opportunities.
Following Copetti’s goal, Bowling Green increased its intensity, free kick just outside the box. However, the Terps managed to withstand the pressure and entered halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Maryland made a tactical change to start the second half, bringing in lengthly midfielder Kenny Quist-Therson to pair with center midfielder Leon Koehl. They supplied speed and physicality, along with a steady outlet for passes.
The first 15 minutes of the second half were evenly-matched, as the shot totals were tied, 2-2, and both teams amassed a single corner kick. Seldom did the Terps incur their usual defensive breakdowns.
As the half dwindled on, Maryland showed no signs of weakness. None of Bowling Green’s four second-half shots were particularly threatening and the Terps’ defenders crowded the box, making it very difficult for any forward to eke a shot through.
“I think we found ways to hurt ourselves in previous games, so I thought today we played with great humility,” Cirovski said of his defense. “We just want to continue this good feeling of understanding the kind of effort it takes to get a result.”
The final minutes ran off the clock with Maryland firmly in control, as the win snapped a four-game losing streak and gave it a much needed victory—its second of the season.
Three things to know
1. Improved chemistry. The Terps had a straightforward mission – they were not going to linger in their own half of the field. In the first half, long passes, which had not consistently connected in previous contests, now found their mark with Maryland’s forwards. The team effectively utilized its possession, spending a significant 64% of its time with the ball in the attacking end, despite holding only 47% of the total possession.
2. Defensive dominance. The Terps gave up six goals and an average of nine shots per game in their last four contests. This game, the Terps allowed just seven shots and kept Bowling Green off the scoreboard.
“I think we just stayed locked in for 90 minutes…we didn’t make mistakes,” Lowell said.
3. Playing with confidence. After the Terps went up 1-0 in the first half, they refused to slow down or assume a park-the-bus formation. Their five second-half shots and a handful of free kicks illustrated their desire to win.
“We were not going to sit back,” Cirovski said. “We wanted to continue to get the next goal…”