Although both teams saw opportunities to take the lead early, neither could capitalize until Nick Richardson drew a foul inside the box to give Malcolm Johnston a take from the penalty spot in the 44th minute of play.

Maryland’s captain, whose been nothing short of automatic on penalties so far this season, drilled it into the bottom left corner to finish the lone goal. 

No. 8 Maryland topped Old Dominion, 1-0, in a rain-soaked non-conference battle.

On a cold and rainy night at Ludwig Field, Maryland looked to continue their momentum from recent play into a non-conference fixture against a gritty Old Dominion side amid the Terps’ Big Ten conference schedule. 

The Monarchs got off to a quick start after Jonas Schmalbach got in all alone behind the Maryland back line, but Maryland goalkeeper Jamie Lowell made back-to-back saves to keep the score level. 

“I thought that Jamie Lowell had one of his best games in a Maryland uniform,” said Head Coach Sasho Cirovski. “The fact that [Lowell]had his best game in a Maryland uniform is disappointing because that means that we allowed them too many chances.” 

As the first half went on, Maryland came back into their own and began to put pressure on Old Dominion’s defense with multiple high-end scoring chances and odd-man counterattacks. 

After pressing forward, Richardson was awarded the penalty and Johnson, who stepped up to the spot 3/3 on penalties this season, made it 4/4 to walk the Terps into the dressing room up 1-0. 

“I kind of go into my zone and just, you know, take a couple of deep breaths and pick my spot,” said Johnston. “I’ve been fortunate to get more, and looking to keep scoring more.” 

Just five minutes into the half, Old Dominion escaped a big chance for Maryland after Hunter George drove down the wing and sent a ball to the middle for Max Riley, who put it away but was ruled offside. 

After a first half that saw the Terps control the ball with 60% possession, Maryland continued to control in the second with 53% total possession. 

The Monarchs struggled to find space in Maryland’s backfield and find premier scoring chances down the stretch. After getting on the scoresheet first, Johnson and the Terps settled in defensively and held Old Dominion scoreless to record their sixth win of the season, a 6-1-2 record. 

“I’m very pleased that we got the result, and we got the shutout,” said Cirovski. “I thought our backline defensively was outstanding.”