In a 1-0 game, 75 minutes in, and minimal scoring opportunities for both sides, freshman Colin Griffith, in his debut, rifled a shot from inside the box after passes from Joshua Bolma and Alex Nitzl, sealing Maryland’s win over a New Hampshire side that hadn’t lost in the regular season since 2019.
In the regular season opener at a raucous Ludwig Field on Thursday night, No. 20 Maryland men’s soccer picked up a statement win to start its season, knocking off No. 9 New Hampshire, 2-1.
After a turnover-infested first five minutes for Maryland against a strong New Hampshire back line, Maryland took advantage of a poor touch at the midfield and Hunter George was given a prime opportunity from teammates Griffin Dillon and Nick Richardson to give Maryland the lead, and he did just that, slotting a ball top right from ten yards out.
“I think anytime you can get an early goal, particularly against a great team, it really injects a level of confidence,” said Head Coach Sasho Cirovski. “I think you could see, our guys were buzzing right after that goal.”
Chances were tough to come by after the Terps’ attackers opened up the scoring, with just seven shots for Maryland and five for New Hampshire in the first half.
Maryland was really calm on its counterattacks, using that to put pressure on New Hampshire’s back line, giving them fits for most of the half.
Although Maryland’s forwards produced the goal to get the scoring started, they struggled to complete their sets and couldn’t find ways to push the ball into New Hampshire’s final third, which resulted in minimal scoring opportunities.
Maryland began the second half with a fiery intensity, but couldn’t match their energy in terms of chances. The Wildcats’ back line played the pressures from the Terps with ease and settled the game down going forward. More than halfway through the second half, Maryland had only notched one measly shot at the cage, with New Hampshire keeper Jassem Koleilat making the easy save.
After 20 minutes of settled play with little to no scoring chances, Joshua Bolma and Alex Nitzl set freshman Colin Griffith up for Maryland’s second goal of the game, making it 2-0 with 13 minutes left in the match. This gave Griffith his first goal as a Terp in his debut.
“He’s been a talent from day one,” said senior midfielder Malcolm Johnston. “There he got in just a great spot,” he added.
Johnston praised Griffith for his hard work and dedication to the team as one of the lone freshmen getting playing time under Coach Sasho Cirovski.
With 7 minutes left, New Hampshire’s Bilal Kamal finished a rebound chance inside the box to make the score 2-1, Maryland. Following the goal, 4 yellow cards were handed out in the next 5 minutes as the game became very chippy, with both sides having words for referee Heber Estrada.
With just minutes to play, and New Hampshire in desperation mode, Maryland packed it in and found a way to close the game out with no further chances for either side.
In a game that featured two highly-ranked teams, Maryland came away victorious in a grueling battle, providing a major battle test to this Terps’ squad.
