In a Friday night matchup, under the lights of Ludwig Field, Denver struck first just six minutes into the game. On the first shot of the contest, a corner from Sam Bassett set up Ronan Wynne for a header to the back post, giving Denver a 1-0 lead.

This proved to be the game’s winning goal, as Maryland could never respond.

“We didn’t come out with the right mentality,” senior midfielder Nick Richardson said. “It’s definitely a really big disappointment.”

No. 20 Denver got the better of  No. 9 Maryland at a  rowdy Ludwig Field on Friday night, 2-0.

In its second top-20 showdown for Maryland just three games into the season, No. 9 Maryland looked to get back in the win column against No. 20 Denver after a disappointing tie on Sunday evening against Liberty. 

Coach Sasho Cirovski switched up his Starting XI for the second time this season, with Malcolm Johnston starting at attacking midfield, and Joshua Bolma out wide, while Alex Nitzl slid into the midfield, setting up Luca Costabile’s return to the lineup. 

After falling behind 1-0 early,  Maryland hoped to find life from a lively Terps’ student section. 

This wasn’t the case for a strong Maryland side, as they conceded a penalty only ten minutes later. 

Denver’s midfielder, Sam Bassett, slotted his penalty inside the right post to put Denver up 2-0, 16 minutes into the game.

“It was a very frustrating performance, and certainly not the beginning of the game that we wanted,” Head Coach Sasho Cirvoski said. 

As the first half winded down, Maryland slowly got themselves in stride, but couldn’t find the back of the net after a grouping of shots, sending them into the half down 2-0 to a sturdy Denver side. 

Although Denver only had 41% of the possession in the first half, 65% of it was on the offensive end. While the Terps attempted to play out of the back, the Pioneers forced giveaway after giveaway.

As the second half progressed, Maryland settled down defensively, allowing just three shots in the final 45 minutes. 

Although Maryland finally got its rhythm back on defense, they continued to struggle to produce chances, failing to earn themselves premier opportunities throughout the second half.

With minimal scoring opportunities for both sides following Denver’s penalty in the 16th minute, the contest finished with Denver on top, 2-0. 

The Terps play the Virginia Cavaliers on Monday night following a disappointing result. On the other side,  the Pioneers finish their East Coast trip against an experienced Georgetown Hoyas side, Monday afternoon.