By Wesley Schnell
COLLEGE PARK, MD – No. 6 Maryland men’s soccer resumed Big Ten play with a senior night matchup against No. 19 UCLA on Monday. An even affair between the Terps and Bruins finished in a 1-1 draw — not Maryland’s desired result, but one that extends its unbeaten run to 12 games.
“I thought it was an excellent college soccer game,” coach Sasho Cirovski said . “I thought we played very well for a good portion of the first half and were able to score a terrific goal.”
The Terps (8-1-5, 5-0-2) secured a 2-0 win over George Mason in their previous games. UCLA (6-3-5, 3-2-3) also entered Monday’s contest with momentum. The Bruins brushed past Rutgers in a 3-0 win on Friday.
Maryland started Monday’s meeting on the front foot. Midfielder Leon Koehl got the Terps’ first look in the fifth minute after making a run in behind the Bruin defense. The sophomore received a through ball but ultimately put his shot off target.
The Bruins counter attacked soon after Koehl’s miss. Their attacking move resulted in a shot by midfielder Edrey Caceres, who sent the attempt toward the lower left corner, drawing a save from Maryland goalkeeper Laurin Mack.
Both teams continued trading possessions, most of which faltered. Both defenses continuously clear their opponents’ counter attacks to maintain this end-to-end trend.
The Terps finally broke through UCLA’s defense in the 25th minute.
Forward Sadam Masereka received a pass from Abli Ndrenika on the right side of the field. The junior dribbled into the box before slotting a shot between the legs of UCLA goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson. Masereka’s score — his second in consecutive games — gave Maryland a 1-0 lead.
In the 31st minute, Masereka broke through the defense again. He sent a pass to Max Rogers, who occupied open space in the middle of the box. Rodgers sent a shot toward the center of the net, but his attempt drew a simple save from Nelson.
Maryland’s mostly positive opening half was halted in the 42nd minute, when Koehl sustained a nasty injury while the Terps were on the counter. He was carted off and couldn’t return.
“Leon is a high quality player for us,” defender Alex Nitzl said. “He’s incredibly informed, like, he scores all our [penalty kicks], but he’s doing way more than that.”
The stat sheet was relatively even as the first half closed. Maryland held its narrow 1-0 lead into the break, and its attacking prospects remained positive as the second half kicked off.
UCLA picked up the game’s first yellow card in the 51st minute, resulting in a Marylnd free kick. The foul occurred just outside of the box, which provided an enticing scoring opportunity.
The Terps couldn’t convert on the initial set piece, but earned a corner kick following the miss. Rogers lofted a ball into the box, where he found Albi Ndrenika for a header. He flashed the attempt just wide.
UCLA made Maryland pay for its misses in the 56th. The Bruins strung together several clever passes, creating a one-on-one look between Mack and freshman Tamir Ratoviz.
The UCLA midfielder fired a relatively slow shot on goal, but it was placed perfectly, beating Mack for the equalizing score.
Ratoviz’s goal prompted both sides to attack urgently in search of a winner.
Chaos broke out in front of Maryland’s net during a 75th minute counter attack. The Bruins attacked with a numerical advantage, drawing Mack out of his six-yard box. As the Maryland goalkeeper evaded the space, UCLA’s Jose Contell received the ball.
Maryland defenders scrambled toward Contell, getting a vital touch on his shot. Luckily for the Terps, Contell’s deflected attempt went into the hands of Mack, keeping the contest level.
Maryland midfielder Matias de Jesus had a clean look just two minutes later. He launched a shot towards the top right corner of the net, Nelson got two hands on it to catch the attempt.
In the 83rd minute, Nicholas Cavallo found space for UCLA’s final shot of the game. Mack made another clutch stop to cap his tremendous, four-save evening.
“I always try to protect the ball,” Mack said. “I tried to make pressure on the opponent on the strike and try to save. That’s my job.”
Maryland worked two more shots before the final whistle sounded. Neither was put on-target. It was a hectic final 10 minutes for both teams but the spoils were ultimately shared in the form of a 1-1 draw.
The Terps Will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive in a road contest on Friday. They head to Ann Arbor for a matchup against Michigan.
