Maryland was eliminated from Big Ten Tournament contention during its win over the Midshipmen.
Despite being eliminated from Big Ten Tournament contention during the middle of its match against Navy, Maryland men’s soccer was going to battle it out until the very end.
Originally starting nine freshmen, head coach Sasho Cirovski opted to bring his regular starters out for the second half, giving them one last chance to shine at Ludwig Field.
They didn’t disappoint, scoring twice in the first 12 minutes of the second half and dominating the pace of the contest to defeat the Midshipmen in a 3-0 beatdown.
With Ohio State defeating No. 16 Michigan State, the Buckeyes secured the final spot in the Big Ten Tournament, officially ending the Terps’ hopes at a bid. But you wouldn’t have known it from the performance they put forth Tuesday.
“It’s very frustrating but I’m very, very proud of the growth of our young players and the way that we’ve grown throughout the season,” Cirovski said. “We have not quit one time, we’ve been in every single game this year and we have always fought.”
Maryland’s first goal of the second half came in the 54th minute, when forward Kimani Stewart-Baynes sent in a curving rocket into the box. Fellow freshman Luke van Heukelum got his foot on it, tipping it into the bottom right corner of the net.
Stewart-Baynes also assisted the second score, which came just three minutes later. This time, Max Riley was the beneficiary.
“It’s good to see,” Riley said. “It’s been a long time coming and I’m just glad to get it.”
Even with the Terps up by two scores, the attack remained relentless around the goal, desperately working to extend the lead. The team had eight second-half corner kicks, and Navy goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook had three second-half saves to keep the score respectable.
In the 77th minute, Riley added his second score of the night off a corner kick.
“We’ve been clicking up front in the past couple games and have been scoring some goals so it just clicked really well tonight,” Riley said.
It was a different story in the first half, though. Maryland’s inexperienced lineup did a lot of chasing, spending extended periods of time in its own defensive third. The Terps played safely, valuing slow build-ups and possession. Navy played aggressively, taking the game’s first three shots.
“We wanted to reward a lot of young players,” Cirovski said. “The first-half group did a great job defensively…showed a lot of character.”
Some mistakes in transition led to quick counter-attacks by the Midshipmen, and the Terps’ two fouls in the first 13 minutes gave the visitors some good looks in tight.
Maryland’s passing was disconnected and clunky through the first 15 minutes. Its attempt at keeping the ball on the ground rather than airing it out slowed its attack down tremendously. This strategy also allowed Navy’s defensive unit to collapse on the Terps’ midfielders.
Without most of its starters in the game, Maryland lost some of its dynamism on the offensive end. Its speed and ball movement were significantly reduced, and forwards were unable to make themselves open on a consistent basis. This left the Terps’ defenders with limited outlet options on the transition.
Navy’s offense, on the other hand, spread out the Terps’ defenders, forcing them to run around the field in pursuit. On multiple occasions, Midshipmen forwards had the ball with space to operate inside the box.
Maryland’s freshman goalkeeper, Saxon Wolcott, made two decisive saves to keep the score knotted at zero at the end of the first half.
In the second half, the tide changed. Maryland’s regular lineup played with conviction, speed and accuracy, seldom making mistakes.
After the goals began to flow, the Terps cruised the rest of the match en route to the satisfying victory.
“Opportunities, missed penalties, uncharacteristic mistakes in the back…you flip a few of those plays, and we’re sitting here and instead of 4-7-3, maybe we’re 7-4-3 and we’re looking pretty good,” Cirovski said.
Three things to know
1. Maryland deployed a largely inexperienced lineup. The Terps’ starting lineup included nine freshmen. In the first half, the offense saw just 8% of its total possession in the attacking third. Meanwhile, Navy’s veteran group spent a significant 38% of its time with possession in the attacking third.
2. Second-half turnaround. It was a tale of two halves, the latter bringing an abundance of scoring and possession for Maryland. The Terps had a 9-1 shot advantage and spent 24% of their time with the ball in the attacking third.
3. Maryland’s shot at postseason play is over. Ohio State’s win over Michigan State eliminated the Terps from Big Ten Tournament contention, all but confirming that Maryland’s 22-year streak of making the NCAA Tournament will come to an end.
“Soccer is a beautiful game, it can also [be] a cruel and punishing game,” Cirovski said. “We felt all of these emotions this year.”