Coach Sasho Cirovski pulled midfielder Eryk Williamson in the 74th minute of the Maryland men’s soccer team’s game against Wisconsin on Friday night and yelled at him.
The veteran coach was upset with the lack of urgency in Williamson’s play.
Williamson re-entered in the 86th minute, and in overtime, he scored the game-winning goal to lift No. 1 Maryland to a 3-2 win. The sophomore credited Cirovski’s message in helping him notch the score that gave the Terps their eighth straight win and a share of the regular season title.
“Eryk scored a great goal,” Cirovski said. “He’s a special player. I challenged him and he responded. I was extremely proud that he was the guy who delivered the game-winner.”
Williamson, who scored the second most goals on the team (six) last year, scored once entering Friday’s contest after switching from forward to midfield this season. He nearly scored on a few of his 14 shots in 2016, so his coaches encouraged him and told him to be more aggressive.
He almost scored in the 57th minute Friday when he headed the ball toward the bottom-right corner of the goal. About an inch before the ball crossed the goal line, Badgers defender Noah Leibold blocked the shot.
Wisconsin then scored twice between the 64th and 67th minutes, The second goal came off a counterattack, which midfielders play a big factor in defending.
Soon after, Cirovski replaced Williamson with forward George Campbell. The veteran coach wanted Williamson to cover the field and play smarter.
“He told me to find the game,” Williamson said. “I was thinking too much. He just said, ‘Hey, I’ll give you a little break. Just make sure you get back into it mentally.'”
When Williamson re-entered for Campbell, he focused on increasing his energy, especially on defense. He stressed the importance of winning the ball back in the final third if Maryland lost possession.
But after defender Alex Crognale scored in the 88th minute to send the contest into overtime, Williamson contributed on offense.
The play started with Williamson kicking midfielder Cody Albrecht’s pass into the air in the 98th minute. Badgers midfielder Alex Masbruch headed the ball but then lost possession, and it landed back in front of Williamson’s feet at the top of the box. The 5-foot-9, 154-pound midfielder struck the ball into the back of the net for the game-winner before sprinting to the flag post with his 26 teammates following him to celebrate.
“It felt good,” Williamson said. “It was kind of a relief because I haven’t been scoring this year.”
Williamson said his coaches have helped him stay calm in pressure situations like Friday. They’re confident in him, and even if he misses one chance, they continue to encourage him.
“He was quiet for a lot of [Friday],” Crognale said. “But that’s something he can do. In a flash he can change the game. I’m really happy for him.”
