In the early stages of the second half, Maryland men’s soccer broke through the scoreless match.
Senior forward Eric Matzelevich passed to redshirt senior forward and captain Paul Bin in the box, which created a golden opportunity for the Terps. After the Michigan State defender interrupted the pass taking Bin down in the process, Maryland was awarded a penalty kick.
Bin fired the shot into the bottom right corner of the net giving Maryland a 1-0 lead and his first goal at Ludwig Field since 2018.
“ To be honest, I haven’t taken many [penalty kicks] but knew I had to take it,” Bin said. “We haven’t been the best on penalties. I stepped up and went into the back of the net.”
Maryland later tacked on another goal to secure a 2-1 victory over Michigan State on Friday at Ludwig Field, securing its third the straight win.
The Terps now are 3-3-0 and .500 for the first time this season. Michigan State is now 2-5-0 in their season.
Both sides came out of the gate slowly. The first 15 minutes included a lot of back-and-forth action with nobody able to break through. However, Maryland controlled the possession early.
The best opportunity for the Terps occurred off a set-piece in the 16th minute. Redshirt senior Mike Heitzmann, a hero for the Terps in the Michigan match, delivered a shot into the box where freshman midfielder Ben Bender got a piece of the shot with his head and sent it wide off-net.
The Terps did not let up as they continued to attack throughout the first half earning three corner kicks.
Moments later, in the 40th minute, the Terps created another opportunity to get on the scoreboard. They were given a free-kick which junior forward Brayan Padilla struck a beautiful curler into the box. The ball landed near sophomore defender Chris Rindov which sent the ball wide of the net.
As the second half started, Maryland surged its momentum. Matzelevich had a brilliant run on the left side that led to the controversial Bin penalty.
Once up 1-0, pressure from the home side didn’t disappear. In the 75h minute, Rindov gained control of the ball near midfield and lofted it near the Michigan State box. Bin controlled the ball and sent a rocket shot into the top right corner to give Maryland a 2-0 lead.
It looked like the 2-0 lead was too much for the Spartans, however, the Spartans were able to send a shot into the back of the net with under 50 seconds left, making it a 2-1 match.
The horn sounded, which ended the late Michigan State comeback.
“I’m delighted with our complete performance today,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “Disappointed about allowing the late goal, but otherwise an overall terrific performance.”
Maryland plays its next match at Ludwig on March 23rd, airing on the Big Ten Network at noon against Rutgers.
