Michigan State defender Jeremy Sharp held the ball at the right of the goal. Sharp lofted a pass into the box amongst a crowd of white and red jerseys. Sophomore forward Jonathan Stout rose above the crowd, heading the pass to the left side of the goal. Maryland keeper Mikah Seger dove to stop it, but was unable to get there in time.
Stout’s goal tied the game at two in the 77th minute after the Terps held a 2-0 lead at the end of the first half.
Maryland Men’s Soccer remains winless in conference play, ending its match against No. 19 Michigan State with a 2-2 draw.
The Spartans scored twice in the second half of the game, the first coming from Jake Spadafora in the 59th minute. Jack Zugay led Spadafora into the box with a pass that just got by a Maryland defender. Spadafora shot quickly with his right foot, getting it past Seger coming up to block the attempt.
The Sophomore’s goal was one of three shots on goal for the Spartans in the second half after they had been held to just one in the first half.
“We knew Michigan State would come out with a lot of energy,” said head coach Sasho Cirovski. “We just weren’t able to have any sustained possession [in] the second half. We were forced to defend almost the entire half and you have to credit Michigan State to find a way to get a couple of goals.”
The Terps only had three shots in the second half after starting the game with a score in the first two minutes. Kento Abe fed a pass from the right of the field, to the head of Luke van Heukelum. The freshman forward leaped above the Michigan State defenders and headed the ball to the top of the goal, ricocheting it off the crossbar and in.
The Terps’ lead doubled in the 17th minute. Kimani Stewart-Baynes beat his defender on the left of the goal. The freshman forward’s shot was deflected, but right to Max Riley. Riley struck the ball with his left foot sending it to the right of the net.
“We were able to get Kimani, Stef, Luke, and Max together for a second straight game and you can see their clicking was quite good,” said Cirovski. “I mean, the first 15-20 minutes, I mean it was fantastic.”
The Terps had seven shots in the first half with three of them being on target. Maryland’s defense held the Michigan State offense to just six total shots in the first 45 minutes.
The draw brings Maryland’s conference record to 0-4-2 on the season. The Terps remain the only team in the Big Ten without a conference win and they continue to sit at the bottom of the standings with two points.
“We’re still barely alive and we’re going to keep kicking,” said Cirovski.
The Terps return to Ludwig field Friday night for a game against conference opponent Indiana.
