Goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier takes a goal kick during the Terps’ 5-2 win over Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament at Ludwig Field on Nov. 8, 2015.
Terrapins men’s soccer goalkeeper Cody Niedermeier had never competed in a penalty shootout in college before, and his debut Friday against Indiana got off to a shaky start. The Hoosiers scored twice in as many attempts, midfielder Tsubasa Endoh missed his strike, and the Terps trailed 2-1 after two rounds.
But the redshirt junior, a first-year starter in net, stayed upbeat and focused on making individual saves. Niedermeier strung together four straight stops moments later, allowing freshman forward Connor Smith to net the game-winner in sudden death and send the Terps to the Big Ten conference tournament final.
After his stout defensive showing against the Hoosiers — Niedermeier made six saves during the run of play — the netminder followed that outing with a shutout in the Terps’ 2-0 win over top-seeded Ohio State, securing the team’s fourth consecutive conference tournament title. Niedermeier was named the defensive player of the tournament for his play, a noteworthy honor for a player whose season started with uncertainty.
“It’s been kind of an up-and-down year for me just building confidence, getting used to playing again after being injured for so long,” Niedermeier said. “The PKs, they put me in a great state of mind. I just go out, and I felt free and I was able just to play.”
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Injuries forced Niedermeier, a highly touted recruit out of Arnold, to miss much of his first three seasons in College Park. And when he returned to the pitch this season, he faced some competition. For the first five matches, coach Sasho Cirovski alternated Niedermeier and freshman Dayne St. Clair in net.
Once Niedermeier assumed the starting role Sept. 11 against Michigan, though, he developed into one of the Big Ten’s most consistent goalies. The 6-footer led the conference with eight shutouts in 16 starts and finished with a save percentage of 79 percent, the league’s third-best mark.
Niedermeier has turned in top-notch efforts during the postseason, too. In the past two contests, he and the rest of the Terps’ defensive unit held Indiana and Ohio State, two of the conference’s top three regular-season offenses, to a combined one goal.
“He’s worthy of being a defensive MVP,” Cirovski said. “He’s got a tremendous story. His resiliency, his character and now it’s coming through in his play.”
The Terps jumped on Ohio State in the 10th minute on a goal from forward Eryk Williamson — his fourth score in as many games — and the Buckeyes rarely challenged Cirovski’s team offensively in the opening period.
But Ohio State often raided the attacking third after intermission. The Buckeyes produced seven shots in the period, and Niedermeier dealt with the ball bouncing around the box.
It wasn’t until Endoh provided the insurance goal in the 88th minute that the Terps could finally relax.
“It had been 10 to 15 minutes where we were taking pressure, and we were kind of pinned back into our own 18 and there were a lot of set pieces,” midfielder Mael Corboz said. “It was a huge relief.”
Niedermeier credited his success this weekend to his focus and awareness of his teammates’ field positions. His attentiveness heightened when the Terps and Buckeyes crowded the box, as he had to prepare to make split-second decisions.
He made all the right choices, though, just as he did late in penalty kicks against Indiana, and the Terps left Columbus, Ohio, with another conference tournament championship.
“Straight up, we brought that intensity that we need to play with and that pressure that we need to defend with,” Niedermeier said. “And they couldn’t handle it.”
