By Daniel Chavkin

After a letdown loss against Akron, No. 4 Maryland was looking to rebound against unranked Michigan. Yet, they struggled to gain control for the majority of the game.

With 15:39 to go in the scoreless game against Michigan, Maryland was hit with a tough blow as freshman forward Jorge Calix was given a red card and ejected. However, instead of continuing their sluggish play, the incident gave the Terrapins an extra boost.

“It looked like it kind of jumpstarted us,” said goalie Cody Niedermeier.

From then on, Maryland started to find their groove, giving Michigan all it could handle. Still, both teams were unable to find the back of the net, resulting in a scoreless tie.

“You’re never happy with a tie at home,” explained head coach Sasho Cirovski. “But I’m pleased we at least got a point out of this game, considering we played a man down for 35 minutes”

Cirovski added, “I was most pleased with the fact that we still pushed for the win with 10 men, and we generated the better chances even with a man down.”

After losing Calix, midfielder Mael Corboz said that everyone needed to give that extra push.

“You just have to work twice as hard, [give] 150 percent, and do whatever you have to do to cover for that guy whose not on the field.” explained the senior midfielder.

Michigan’s physicality and aggressive play was gave Maryland all they could handle for the entire game.

“It’s difficult to play Michigan because there is very little rhythm or tempo in the game,” detailed Cirovski. “They’re extremely hard working and very direct.”

Cirovski also claimed that it was good for the team to play games like this since there are a few teams who play the same style.

In their first Big Ten game of the year, Niedermeier thought the team held up well, but are able to learn from this game for future conference matchups.

“Michigan is a tough team to play against, they are going to bring that physicality that not a lot of other teams can match,” he said. “It can help our freshman grow up and our seniors get back into it and realize what the Big Ten is all about.”

Maryland now sits at 2-1-2 as they head into their next matchup Monday vs. Navy.