Forward Eryk Williamson kicks the ball out of midair into the goal during the Terps’ 3-1 win over Rutgers at Ludwig Field on Nov. 4, 2015.
Every time the Terrapins men’s soccer team enters their Ludwig Field locker room, they look at a sign that reads: “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but rising every time we fall.”
The Terps faced adversity entering Wednesday night’s match with No. 16 Rutgers, as they were coming off a 1-0 loss to No. 18 Ohio State four days earlier. The defeat dropped the Terps to No. 6 in the Big Ten standings with one regular-season game remaining.
But on a night where the Terps honored their four seniors, Cirovski’s team bounced back with a 3-1 win over the Scarlet Knights at Ludwig Field.
“It was a great team performance tonight and a great response from our last disappointment at Ohio State,” Cirovski said. “It was a totally committed, concentrated and competitive performance, and that’s exactly what we wanted today.”
Before the match, the Terps honored forward David Kabelik, midfielders Mael Corboz and Tsubasa Endoh and defender Dakota Edwards. The seniors posed for pictures with their families and coaches at midfield before the game.
But it was freshman forward Eryk Williamson, who finished with two goals, that gave the Terps (8-5-4, 3-2-3 Big Ten) an early lead over Rutgers (11-5-1, 4-4-0).
The play began in the 11th minute when Endoh’s corner kick was cleared out to the left side to midfielder Amar Sejdic, who immediately sent a cross into the box. The ball found defender Alex Crognale for a header that appeared headed for the right post, but Scarlet Knights goalkeeper David Greczek dove to his left and got a hand on the ball.
Greczek fell to the ground after the save, though, leaving the goal open for Williamson to put home his first-career goal and give the Terps a 1-0 advantage. Endoh, on a night dedicated to him and his veteran teammates, excitedly ran over to the first-year striker and jumped into his arms to celebrate.
“Me and Tsu get along a lot, and just I wasn’t expecting him to be the first one,” Williamson said. “But it meant a lot cause Tsu’s a guy that’s always been pushing me this year, and knowing that he had my back when I scored it meant a lot.”
After setting up Williamson’s strike, Endoh finished around the net for a goal of his own in the 24th minute. The referee initially allowed the teams to play on after Endoh’s shot — it hit the top crossbar and bounced right near the goal line — but awarded the Tokyo, Japan, native the goal after convening with the sideline official.
The Terps’ lone score in the past two matches came via an own goal in a 1-0 win against Washington, but Cirovski’s team doubled that total in the first half Wednesday.
Cirovski said the increased offensive production was the result of scoring early. In nine home games entering Wednesday, the Terps had scored just one first-half goal.
Corboz, meanwhile, said it was a combination of his team’s execution and Rutgers’ style of play. The senior noted the Scarlet Knights defenders came out farther, allowing the Terps to squeeze some passes into the box.
That was on display in the 55th minute when the Terps responded to forward Miles Hackett 48th-minute goal.
After slipping a pass to Kabelik, Williamson ran alongside the Budapest, Hungary, native as he approached Rutgers’ box. And when Greczek dove to knock the ball away from Kabelik, Williamson was there to score his second goal of the contest.
“We were just a lot more concentrated in the final third,” Williamson said. “Everyone’s just buzzing and everyone wants the ball.”
The win moved the Terps up to the No. 3 seed, meaning Cirovski’s squad will host sixth-seeded Michigan in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals Sunday.
They’ll enter that match having just knocked off a ranked foe that had won seven straight games. But Corboz made sure to emphasize that the Terps are focused on the future, not the past.
“What’s important for us is to realize that we played really well, but at the same time, we have a game in four days,” Corboz said. “We haven’t responded well to good wins, so I think the next few days are important mentally for us to stay in check and not get too high.”
