After back-to-back victories, Maryland men’s soccer entered Big Ten play with a trip North to face Wisconsin. For the second consecutive year, the Terps came out with the upper hand in their Big Ten opener against the Badgers.

Maryland retook its lead with two second-half scores en route to a 3-1 victory over Wisconsin Friday night. The Terps have now won their last four Big Ten openers.

It was Maryland’s first win in Madison in eight years. 

“The first few years we were in the Big Ten we came here and had very good results, but the last three or four trips down here have not been the result we wanted,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said. “I challenged our team to change that narrative, and I think they took it to heart. They came here, put together a great performance, and got a great result.”

Although the Terps have scored ten unanswered goals in their two previous games, it’s the defense that brings them victory. Maryland entered with three shutouts and two goals allowed. Laurin Mack, the sophomore goalie, has posted a 0.50 goals against average and has been a brick wall in open play. 

The defensive unit as a whole limited the Badgers to just seven shots and three in the first half. The Badgers only real opportunity in the first half was a corner kick in the 39th minute, headered off the crossbar. 

The Terps set the tone from the start, maintaining possession in their attacking zone. They nearly struck first, but Stephane Njike’s breakaway was wiped out by an offsides call. 

After the Badgers almost took the lead on a set-piece off the crossbar, the Terps found themselves on a breakaway. Wisconsin midfielder Julian Kuhr committed a foul in the box, leading to a penalty kick by Leon Koehl. Koehl grounded one to the bottom right corner, and the Terps went into the first half with a 1-0 lead. 

Aside from the Badgers opportunity in the first half, the Terps were in the driver’s seat for most of the game. 

However, after Farouk Cisse took down Wisconsin forward Thomas Raimbault, Matthew Zachemski scored the equalizer on a penalty kick — the first goal the Terps have allowed since their draw against Bucknell. 

Besides their one goal allowed, the Terps continued their dominance in the attacking half, generating nine shots and seven shots on goal. 

In the 69th minute, Njike made a couple of moves on his defender before netting his second goal of the year, reclaiming the lead, 2-1. The sophomore has made his presence felt in a Maryland uniform, with two goals and an assist this year. 

Later, in the 75th minute, reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week Rocket Ritarita received a beautiful pass from Chris Steinleitner. Ritarita proceeded to chip the goalie for his second goal in two games, taking a 3-1 lead. 

“Rocket is an extremely talented player that is making a difference every time he steps on the field,” Cirovski said. “Tonight we really needed him. I think he played the most minutes he’s played all year. He has picked up the pace and physicality of college soccer in a good way and I thought he really helped our team tonight.” 

In the past three games, the Terps have outscored their opponents 13-1, scoring at least three goals in their last three games. With the win, the Terps move to 4-0-1 on the season. Their next match is at home against Pitt on September 19.