The Terps missed their fourth penalty kick of the season.
Down 2-1 in the 67th minute, Maryland men’s soccer forward Kimani Stewart-Baynes stepped up to the penalty spot after the head referee signaled a handball against Rutgers.
The fourth penalty kick taker this season had a chance to shed a glimmer of hope for Terps fans, who yearned to see a different result than the team’s previous three attempts this season, all misses.
However, the freshman sent the ball whizzing past the right post, igniting a collective groan amongst the home crowd. Once more, the Terps found themselves struggling to finish their opportunities in a 2-1 loss to the Scarlet Knights. The defeat dropped the Terps to a paltry 1-6-2 record on the season.
“It’s frustrating,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “It’s frustrating to see the same thing happen to us on a consistent basis.”
In the opening minutes, the Terps’ ball possession was poor in comparison to their last match against Northwestern. The midfielders could not string together passes, and long balls down the sideline often drifted out of play.
In the fifth minute, Maryland goalkeeper Jamie Lowell — who had been sidelined for the past two matches after being carted off against Penn State — made an impressive leg save. However, the Terps could not muster anything of substance on the subsequent counter attack, resulting in a rapid possession change.
The quick ball movement by the Rutgers midfield unit left Maryland’s defense flat-footed. A simple through ball that split the back line left forward Ola Maeland in a one-on-one with Lowell. His first shot was blocked, but he retained the rebound and made no mistake on the second opportunity, putting the Scarlet Knights up 1-0.
Despite a good press in the midfield, Maryland was unable to find any of its attackers in open space behind Rutgers’ defenders. Meanwhile, Rutgers seldom used the middle of the pitch, focusing on getting its wings the ball in space. Then, in the attacking third, when the Terps pressured with their outside backs, the Scarlet Knight forwards would lay off the ball to their midfielders to create more open space.
This strategy paid off for the visitors. Just 13 minutes after the opening score, a blast from outside the box resulted in an initial save, but another rebound after some defensive confusion put the Scarlet Knights up 2-0.
In the 23rd minute, the Terps scored their first goal in three games. A cross by defender Alex Nitzl at the top of the box gave forward Max Riley an open look. Not hesitating, he hammered the ball past Rutgers goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton’s outstretched fingers.
“My job is to put the ball in the back of the net and obviously I haven’t done that the past couple games,” Riley said. “It was bound to (expletive) happen.”
A majority of the possession was in Maryland’s favor following its score and it showed on the stat sheet, as the team accumulated 11 shots in the first half compared to Rutgers’ five. The Scarlet Knights were largely immobile as a unit, not accounting for the Terps’ wingbacks, who continued to thrust themselves into the action.
After this confident showing failed to produce any tangible results, Maryland trailed Rutgers 2-1 heading into the second half.
The second half began with a flurry of quality chances by both sides. A give-and-go between wingback Luca Costabile and forward Stefan Copetti nearly resulted in a score, but the sheer amount of net-front traffic halted the opportunity.
On the opposing side, a through ball forced two Maryland defenders to chase down a streaking Rutgers forward. An eventual, but controversial, tackle in the box ended the counter attack.
Corner kicks continued to plague Maryland, who could not capitalize on any of its 12 chances. Point-blank misses and fantastic saves highlighted the Terps’ woes in and around the goal area, especially on set pieces.
“I never thought I’d be saying what I’m saying, but now we’re just going to fight to make sure we can have an opportunity in the Big Ten Tournament,” Cirovski said.
Things to know
1. Poor defensive demonstration. Maryland held 58% of the first half’s possession, but it did not mean much. Maryland gave up two goals, both of which were scored off easy rebounds.
Overall, the Terps’ defensive communication was poor in the opening 45 minutes, often failing to mark opposing forwards who snuck around the back line.
“I think we just have to stay switched on and make sure those plays don’t happen again,” defender Mack DeVries said. “We have to make them earn their goals.”
2. No finishing touch. The Terps had 20 shots on the evening and crowded the Rutgers box all game long. However, as has been the case this season, the team failed to capitalize.
Dalton also had some diving stops in the second half to keep the Scarlet Knights ahead. His four second-half saves consisted of athletic dives and point-blank shut-downs.
“Unfortunately, we keep having goalkeepers come in here and have the game of their lives,” Cirovski said.
3. Another missed penalty kick. Four different Terps have lined up at the spot this season, and none delivered.
Maryland’s lack of ability in crucial moments further highlights the team’s absence of a true No. 1 scoring threat.