The Tuesday night game against nearby rival George Mason seemed like a potential disappointment for the Maryland men’s soccer team, due to their short rest and the absence of key player Colin Griffith.
However, the Terps secured a commanding 2-0 victory by demonstrating superiority over George Mason for most of the game. The Terps won their third game in a row and extended their undefeated streak to 11 games.
Head coach Sasho Cirovski expressed satisfaction with how his team displayed character, grit, toughness, and quality.
The Terps began the game at a disadvantage due to Griffith’s absence. Consequently, they changed to a 4-3-3 setup, moving Albi Ndrenika to the left wing, Alex Nitzl to the midfield, and subbing in Jace Clark as right back.
Cirovski said there are players ready to step up and they showed their ability today.
It soon became clear that the Patriots planned to play a very high defensive line, as their four defenders pushed up to midfield when they had the ball.
This initially made Maryland feel uneasy, since most Big Ten opponents tend to defend with a much deeper low block.
The Terps quickly adjusted and started searching for balls behind George Mason’s defensive line.
With 17 minutes remaining in the half, Maryland passed to quick forward Sadam Masereka, who dribbled towards the goal and struck the ball off the near post for his second goal of the year.
Masereka stated that he senses it is on the way and he is regaining his self-assurance. “I only require one additional [goal] for the match against UCLA on Monday.”
Maryland smoothly controlled the rest of the half, holding onto the ball and nearly scoring a second goal through freshman Jameson Michel, whose shot from close range was blocked.
The Terps went to their home locker room feeling confident with a 1-0 advantage. The Patriots failed to make a shot on goal in the initial 45 minutes.
Maryland briefly seemed to be at a disadvantage in the early part of the second half, as George Mason initiated a couple of dangerous attacks. However, the Terps promptly regained their composure, controlling the ball for extended periods.
With only 25 minutes remaining in the match, Luca Costabile managed to get past his opponent inside the penalty area and earned a penalty due to a possible handball committed by a Patriot defender lying on the ground. Reliable Leon Koehl confidently approached the penalty spot, deceiving the goalkeeper and successfully scoring his sixth penalty out of six attempts.
The Terps came close to scoring a third goal from a Ndrenika free kick that hit the bar, but they maintained their 2-0 lead as they cruised to another victory.
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