By Wesley Schnell
BLOOMINGTON, IN –– Maryland men’s soccer maintained its perfect start to Big Ten play after a 1-0 road win over Indiana, after a weather delay that caused Friday night’s game to finish on Saturday morning.
The Terps (4-1-3) entered Friday night’s contest in Bloomington, following a dominant 3-0 victory over then-No. 8 Wisconsin, a week prior. The Hoosiers also (2-3-3) kicked off conference play with a win, taking down Rutgers 1-0 in their previous contest.
Indiana sent a shot on goal just five minutes after kickoff, but a save from Maryland goalkeeper Laurin Mack snuffed the chance. The Terps took their first attempt in the 19th minute, but the shot was blocked by the Hoosier defense.
Maryland’s attack found its rhythm just over midway through the first half.
Freshman forward Aidan Sheppela got Maryland its first shot-on-goal in the 35th minute. His effort was denied by Hoosier keeper
JT Harms. The Terps then took another pair of shots in the following minute but they weren’t able to find the back of the net.
Maryland finally broke through in the 40th minute after winning a penalty kick. Leon Koehl made clean work of opportunity.
The sophomore midfielder found an opening in the lower right corner of the net for his third goal of the season, giving the Terps a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Maryland had a chance to extend its advantage ten minutes after the break. Midfielder Albi Ndrenika sent a shot toward the lower left corner of the net but Harms made a critical save to keep the Hoosiers within one.
Harms continued playing hero in the 68th minute when he saved a low shot from Sadam. He followed that up with yet another stop, just a minute later.
The match was abruptly paused in the 70th minute, when lightning was spotted in the area. The poor weather held up throughout the night, forcing the two sides to finish the match on Saturday morning.
The Terps maintained their momentum for the final 20 minutes of the match, despite the long delay. Maryland held Indiana scoreless the remainder of the game, marking Mack’s second straight clean sheet, and the Terps’ second straight Big Ten win.
Maryland stays on the road for their next game, as they travel to Evanston for a clash with Northwestern on Friday.
