When Indiana defender Andrew Gutman sliced through seven players and scored the first goal of the Big Ten tournament semifinal, it seemed the injuries to Maryland men’s soccer’s backline would prevent it from playing for the conference trophy.
With center back Donovan Pines sidelined with a concussion and left back Chase Gasper still not on the field, a youthful Terps defense finally cracked in the 61st minute, beaten by the star of the No. 2 team in the nation.
After that, Gasper checked in for the first time in three games, and about 10 minutes later, a sequence he started with a throw-in quickly and startlingly turned into an equalizer. A few passes later, defender Ben Di Rosa scored his first career goal, beating Big Ten goalkeeper of the year Trey Muse.
Di Rosa’s improbable goal held for the following 40 minutes, sending the game to penalty kicks. Neither team had even attempted a penalty kick the entire season, and Indiana eliminated the Terps with a 4-3 advantage in the shootout.
Despite exiting one game shy of the championship, the Terps’ conference tournament run puts them in prime position for their 18th consecutive NCAA tournament berth, still boasting a winning record, the No. 12 RPI in the country and a top-five strength of schedule.
Pines entered concussion protocol after suffering an injury in practice earlier this week, according to a team spokesperson. The All-Big Ten first team defender had played all but five minutes this season.
Gasper, after missing the last two games, was available to play but didn’t check in until Gutman’s goal. Freshman Brett St. Martin filled in for Pines, while sophomores Ben Di Rosa and Matt Di Rosa assumed the outside back positions.
Despite the young and depleted defense, the No. 5-seed Terps weathered an opportunity-filled for first half for the second-ranked team in the country. Indiana had nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, but only one was on target.
Gutman hit the crossbar midway through the opening period, but the Terps evaded a first-half deficit. Maryland midfielder William James Herve hit the woodwork in the 36th minute, as well, but the Hoosiers dominated the first 45 minutes.
Indiana finally took advantage of Maryland’s defense in the second half, as Gutman — the Big Ten defender of the year and a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy — powered through a majority of the Terps’ team. St. Martin, filling in for Pines, was the penultimate defender Gutman’s run knifed past, and the Hoosiers left back cut back inside before slotting home with his right foot.
When Gasper checked in, Maryland fought back. A powerful Gasper throw-in from the Terps’ third of the pitch made it to midfield, where Herve played a long through ball to Ben Di Rosa, who took one touch and then evened the scoreline with a shot tucked inside the far post.
The Terps kept pressing, now looking for a comeback win. The backline was a hindrance earlier, it fueled the momentum-shifting second half. St. Martin’s header in the 76th minute was on its way toward the back of the net before it was cleared off the line by a Hoosier defender.
So rather than taking a 2-1 lead, Maryland headed to overtime for the ninth time in 18 games this season.
In overtime, Bergmann got banged up and exited the game, leaving the Terps without both of their starting center defenders for the rest of the game. The makeshift backline, featuring one banged up senior and three underclassmen, kept the game even to force penalty kicks.
St. Clair guessed correctly once, while Mike Heitzmann and Vinicius Lansade missed their tries for Maryland. Hoosiers midfielder Cory Thomas ran up to the ball with a chance to win the game, and St. Clair’s dive came up just short of blocking the shot. Thomas’ teammates mobbed him, and the Terps went home after their second bitter defeat to Indiana of the year.
